"Synaptic plasticity" refers to the ability of the connections between brain cells (neurons) to change and adapt based on experiences and learning. It means that these connections can become stronger or weaker, and new connections can be formed, allowing the brain to modify and adjust its networks to store and process information.
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«These results have granted us a fascinating insight into the mode of operation and regulation of
synaptic plasticity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus,» as the researchers sum up their findings.
Objective: To understand the dynamics and functional roles
of synaptic plasticity in mnemonic phenomena to shed new light on the cellular bases of learning.
«We found that nicotine and cocaine employ similar mechanisms to
induce synaptic plasticity in dopamine neurons in VTA,» Mao said.
Detailed biochemical and sophisticated imaging experiments are employed to delineate the molecular signaling cascades that couple receptors to the translational apparatus during long -
lasting synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, amygdala, cortex, and striatum, and whether these types of translational control are required for memory formation, social behaviors, and behavioral flexibility.
He is one of the world's leading researchers
on synaptic plasticity in the brain and has pioneered new optical methods of observing the structural changes in the living brain as it adapts to its environment.
These modifications, also
called synaptic plasticity, are a major process used for information storage in the brain and spinal cord.
Ma, T., Chen, Y., Vingtdeux, V., Zhao, H., Viollet, B., Marambaud, P., and Klann, E. (2014) Inhibition of AMP - activated protein kinase signaling alleviates impairments in
hippocampal synaptic plasticity induced by amyloid β.
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In fact, compared with ethanol, which
enhances synaptic plasticity only after long - term use, «stress can do the same job more rapidly,» Morikawa says.
Work in the Shigeki Watanabe Lab is focused on cellular and molecular characterizations of rapid changes
during synaptic plasticity.
Using data gathered from the sessions, Grassi's team discovered
increased synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, a region of the brain critical to memory processing and storage.
Damage in the glutamate pathway, which
regulates synaptic plasticity, has been linked to disturbances in goal - directed behavior and habit formation.
Beckelman BC, Day S, Zhou X, Donohue M, Gouras GK, Klann E, Keene CD, Ma T. (2016) Dysregulation of Elongation Factor 1A Expression is Correlated
with Synaptic Plasticity Impairments in Alzheimer's Disease.
Current projects include modeling the biophysical mechanisms
underlying synaptic plasticity and learning in dendritic trees, the dynamics of neuronal networks in the outer plexiform layer of the retina, and modeling the integration of multiple synaptic inputs in muscle fiber.
They found that exercise may help cognition by increasing blood and oxygen to the brain, increasing levels of norepinephrine, and endorphins to decrease stress and improve mood, and increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells and
support synaptic plasticity.
This finding is in accordance with earlier animal model studies, which have shown that physical activity increases the amount of growth factors in the brain and
improves synaptic plasticity.
Moser's approach — risky at the time, he says — merged psychology with physiology,
investigating synaptic plasticity by recording neural signals from intact mammalian brains.
In this study, the authors were able to show that TGF β1 triggers N - methyl - D - aspartate receptor (NMDA), a molecule controlling memory formation and maintenance
through synaptic plasticity.
For the last ten years our laboratory has been determining the molecular basis for dysregulated protein synthesis in fragile X syndrome (FXS) and how altered translation contributes to
altered synaptic plasticity aberrant behavior in FXS model mice.
A deeper understanding of the pre-plaque stage is of great relevance in view of the fact that the intraneuronal compartment is also a place where Aβ can oligomerize [10, 21, 22] forming toxic aggregates which can impair synaptic plasticity [23 — 26], induce cognitive impairments [27, 28] and unleash a pro-inflammatory reaction [10, 29].
The rise in C3 protein level correlated with decreases in synaptic puncta and synaptophysin densities and synaptic protein, neuron loss, and
reduced synaptic plasticity.
Our lab is working to identify how astrocytes interact with and regulate neuronal synapses throughout life: in development of neuronal circuits, in
adult synaptic plasticity, and in synapse loss in aging.
Molecular studies of gene expression during long - lasting
synaptic plasticity related to memory storage initially focused on the identification of positive regulators.
While synaptic plasticity in involved primarily in short - term processes that take from a few milliseconds to several hours, structural plasticity extends over longer time scales, from several days to months.
A study based on the research, «Habituation
based synaptic plasticity and organismic learning in a quantum perovskite,» appeared in the August 14 online issue of Nature Communications.
«Our results suggest that the location of the translational hotspot is a regulator of the simultaneous translation of multiple messenger RNAs in nerve cell dendrites and
therefore synaptic plasticity,» says Sul.
Learning and memory are thought to be encoded in the brain
via synaptic plasticity, the long - term strengthening and weakening of connections between neurons.
In this review, we will provide a detailed description of the organization and dynamics of F - actin and ABPs in dendritic spines and will discuss the current models explaining how the actin cytoskeleton sustains both structural and
functional synaptic plasticity.
Experiments with cocaine -
mediated synaptic plasticity (Figure 3) were done with the experimenter blind as to whether a cocaine solution or vehicle was being applied to the brain slice.
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synaptic plasticity Contains information from beyond the syllabus.