Work

Spontaneous Network Activity and Synaptic Development

Year: 2013

Type: review

Abstract: Throughout development, the nervous system produces patterned spontaneous activity. Research over the past two decades has revealed a core group of mechanisms that mediate spontaneous activity in diverse circuits. Many circuits engage several of these mechanisms sequentially to accommodate developmental changes in connectivity. In addition to shared mechanisms, activity propagates through developing circuits and neuronal pathways (i.e., linked circuits in different brain areas) in stereotypic patterns. Increasing evidence suggests that spontaneous network activity shapes synaptic development in vivo Variations in activity-dependent plasticity may explain how similar mechanisms and patterns of activity can be employed to establish diverse circuits. Here, I will review common mechanisms and patterns of spontaneous activity in emerging neural networks and discuss recent insights into their contribution to synaptic development.

Source: The Neuroscientist

DOI: 10.1177/1073858413510044

Author: Daniel Kerschensteiner

Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Eye Institute

Award: SPATIAL CELL BIOLOGY OF RETINAL CIRCUIT DEVELOPMENT