One study concluded that magnesium threonate increases the
number of synaptic connections between brain cells and boosts the density of synapses (30).
Last year, Gladstone scientists announced a promising new drug candidate that prevents memory deficits and the loss
of synaptic connections between brain cells — key features of Alzheimer's — in mice modeling the disease.
Learning and memory have been closely linked to
strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons (i.e., synaptic plasticity) within the dentate gyrus (DG)- CA3 - CA1 trisynaptic circuit of the
«After a year of sound deprivation, we observed dramatic changes in the inner ear — notably, a significant
loss of the synaptic connections through which the sensory cells send their electrical signals to the brain,» Dr. Maison said.
The human brain contains as many as 100 billion neurons, most of which make hundreds to thousands
of synaptic connections with specific target cells.
This targeted electrical stimulation changes the strength
of synaptic connections in the brain, resulting in improved health and function after a brain or spinal cord injury.
The same information can be represented as lines on paper, as electrical charges inside a PC's memory banks or as the strength
of the synaptic connections among nerve cells.
Amidst the astounding complexity of the billions of nerve cells and
trillions of synaptic connections in the brain, how do nerve cells decide how far to grow or how many connections to build?
In the brain, MeCP2 is found in high concentrations in neurons and is associated with maturation of the central nervous system and the
formation of synaptic connections.
The so - called musashi protein is responsible for the structure and
function of the synaptic connections of the brain, the place where information is communicated from one neuron to the next.
When synaptic connections were made, researchers observed that the distribution of Tau was 50 % more efficient than in the
absence of synaptic connections.
They are exploring whether these developmental findings can be used to address diseases such as stroke, by promoting the
repair of synaptic connections following injury.
In 2011, Professor Denk reported his breakthrough: there was indeed asymmetry in the numbers, or density,
of synaptic connections made between pairs of starburst amacrine cells and retinal ganglion cells that were responding to a directional light signal.
This also works the other way round: as soon as the activity level exceeds an upper limit, the
number of synaptic connections is reduced to prevent any overexcitation — the neuron firing rate falls.
The brain's neural circuits are established early during development, with milestones including the creation and migration of neurons, the formation of synapses — the pathways by which the neurons carry their electrical signals — and the
strengthening of those synaptic connections.
«There is mounting evidence that the cellular machinery that controls cell death also controls the strength and number
of synaptic connections,» Overstreet - Wadiche said.
A transient experience — one source of our memories — is capable of producing an enduring change in the strength
of the synaptic connection, says Si.
The findings offer support for Tonegawa's new hypothesis that the strengthening
of synaptic connections, while necessary for a memory to be initially encoded, is not necessary for its subsequent long - term storage.
«There is mounting evidence that the cellular machinery that controls cell death also controls the strength and number
of synaptic connections»