Heterosynaptic Plasticity and the Experience-Dependent Refinement of Developing Neuronal Circuits
Author(s)
Jenks, Kyle R.; Tsimring, Katya; Ip, Jacque Pak Kan; Zepeda, Jose C.; Sur, Mriganka
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<jats:p>Neurons remodel the structure and strength of their synapses during critical periods of development in order to optimize both perception and cognition. Many of these developmental synaptic changes are thought to occur through synapse-specific homosynaptic forms of experience-dependent plasticity. However, homosynaptic plasticity can also induce or contribute to the plasticity of neighboring synapses through heterosynaptic interactions. Decades of research <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> have uncovered many of the molecular mechanisms of heterosynaptic plasticity that mediate local compensation for homosynaptic plasticity, facilitation of further bouts of plasticity in nearby synapses, and cooperative induction of plasticity by neighboring synapses acting in concert. These discoveries greatly benefited from new tools and technologies that permitted single synapse imaging and manipulation of structure, function, and protein dynamics in living neurons. With the recent advent and application of similar tools for <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic> research, it is now feasible to explore how heterosynaptic plasticity contribute to critical periods and the development of neuronal circuits. In this review, we will first define the forms heterosynaptic plasticity can take and describe our current understanding of their molecular mechanisms. Then, we will outline how heterosynaptic plasticity may lead to meaningful refinement of neuronal responses and observations that suggest such mechanisms are indeed at work <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic>. Finally, we will use a well-studied model of cortical plasticity—ocular dominance plasticity during a critical period of visual cortex development—to highlight the molecular overlap between heterosynaptic and developmental forms of plasticity, and suggest potential avenues of future research.</jats:p>
Date issued
2021-12-07Department
Picower Institute for Learning and Memory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive SciencesPublisher
Frontiers Media SA
Citation
Jenks, Kyle R., Tsimring, Katya, Ip, Jacque Pak Kan, Zepeda, Jose C. and Sur, Mriganka. 2021. "Heterosynaptic Plasticity and the Experience-Dependent Refinement of Developing Neuronal Circuits." 15.
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1662-5110