A general homeostatic principle following lesion induced dendritic remodeling.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Neuronal death and subsequent denervation of target areas are hallmarks of many neurological disorders. Denervated neurons lose part of their dendritic tree, and are considered "atrophic", i.e. pathologically altered and damaged. The functional consequences of this phenomenon are poorly understood.

Results

Using computational modelling of 3D-reconstructed granule cells we show that denervation-induced dendritic atrophy also subserves homeostatic functions: By shortening their dendritic tree, granule cells compensate for the loss of inputs by a precise adjustment of excitability. As a consequence, surviving afferents are able to activate the cells, thereby allowing information to flow again through the denervated area. In addition, action potentials backpropagati

SUBMITTER: Platschek S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4766619 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature