Silent Synapses Speak Up
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: A transient but prominent increase in the level of "silent synapses"--a signature of immature glutamatergic synapses that contain only NMDA receptors without stably expressed AMPA receptors--has been identified in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) following exposure to cocaine. As the NAc is a critical forebrain region implicated in forming addiction-associated behaviors, the initial discoveries have raised speculations about whether and how these drug-induced synapses mature and potentially contribute to addiction-related behaviors. Here, we summarize recent progress in recognizing the pathway-specific regulations of silent synapse maturation, and its diverse impacts on behavior. We provide an update of the guiding hypothesis--the "neural rejuvenation hypothesis"--with recently emerged evidence of silent synapses in cocaine craving and relapse.
Source: The Neuroscientist
Authors: Yanhua H. Huang, Oliver M. Schlüter, Yan Dong
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Homeostatic Plasticity in Nucleus Accumbens, Cocaine-induced Adaptation in NMDA receptors, G2192117570, Regulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons by Sleep Deprivation, G2906269071, G4437005404, Synaptic Reorganization in Drug Addiction, Dopamine Signaling and Synaptic Plasticity in the Nucleus Accumbens, Regulation of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons by Sleep Deprivation, G8368836224, Homeostatic Regulation and Dysregulation in Cocaine Craving, G8431340338, G8527983222, Cocaine-induced adaptation in NMDA receptors
OpenAlex ID: W2061827786