Benzothiazole Amphiphiles Promote the Formation of Dendritic Spines in Primary Hippocampal Neurons.

ABSTRACT: The majority of excitatory synapses in the brain exist on dendritic spines. Accordingly, the regulation of dendritic spine density in the hippocampus is thought to play a central role in learning and memory. The development of novel methods to control spine density could, therefore, have important implications for treatment of a host of neurodegenerative and developmental cognitive disorders. Herein, we report the design and evaluation of a new class of benzothiazole amphiphiles that exhibit a dose-dependent response leading to an increase in dendritic spine density in primary hippocampal neurons. Cell exposure studies reveal that the increase in spine density can persist for days in the presence of these compounds, but returns to normal spine density levels within 24 h when the compounds

SUBMITTER: Cifelli JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4933251 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature