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Dendritic spines do not split during hippocampal LTP or maturation

Nature Neuroscience volume 5, pages 297–298 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Synapse splitting is considered a viable mechanism for increasing synaptic coupling between neurons1,2,3,4,5. We investigated this issue by reconstructing dendrites, axons and synapses from hippocampus during long-term potentiation (LTP) and maturation. Long, mature axons passed between neighboring dendritic spine synapses, precluding their formation by splitting.

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Figure 1: sdMSB synapses are found only at tetanized sites in PN15 hippocampal slices.
Figure 2: Gaps between spines of sdMSBs contain mature axons at the LTP sites.
Figure 3: Reconstruction of sdMSB and related structures in a PN21 slice.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to M. Feinberg, J. Cooney, A. Goddard, D. Castellano and E. Phillips for technical assistance. This work was supported by NIH grant NS33574 and by the Human Brain Project grant MH/DA57351 funded jointly by NIMH and NIDA.

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  1. Brenda Allwardt

    Present address: Finnegan, Henderson, L.L.P., 1300 I St., N.W., Washington, DC, 20005

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, 5 Cummington St., Boston, 02215, Massachusetts, USA

    John C. Fiala & Kristen M. Harris

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  1. John C. Fiala
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  2. Brenda Allwardt
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Correspondence to Kristen M. Harris.

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Fiala, J., Allwardt, B. & Harris, K. Dendritic spines do not split during hippocampal LTP or maturation. Nat Neurosci 5, 297–298 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn830

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