Review

Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9, 344-356 (May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrn2373

There is a Corrigendum (1 June 2008) associated with this article.

Actin in action: the interplay between the actin cytoskeleton and synaptic efficacy

Lorenzo A. Cingolani1 & Yukiko Goda1,2  About the authors

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Synapse regulation exploits the capacity of actin to function as a stable structural component or as a dynamic filament. Beyond its well-appreciated role in eliciting visible morphological changes at the synapse, the emerging picture points to an active contribution of actin to the modulation of the efficacy of pre- and postsynaptic terminals. Moreover, by engaging distinct pools of actin and divergent signalling pathways, actin-dependent morphological plasticity could be uncoupled from modulation of synaptic strength. The aim of this Review is to highlight some of the recent progress in elucidating the role of the actin cytoskeleton in synaptic function.

Author affiliations

  1. MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and MRC Cell Biology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
  2. Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.

Correspondence to: Yukiko Goda1,2 Email: y.goda@ucl.ac.uk

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