Dendritic spine morphology regulates calcium-dependent synaptic weight change.

ABSTRACT: Dendritic spines act as biochemical computational units and must adapt their responses according to their activation history. Calcium influx acts as the first signaling step during postsynaptic activation and is a determinant of synaptic weight change. Dendritic spines also come in a variety of sizes and shapes. To probe the relationship between calcium dynamics and spine morphology, we used a stochastic reaction-diffusion model of calcium dynamics in idealized and realistic geometries. We show that despite the stochastic nature of the various calcium channels, receptors, and pumps, spine size and shape can modulate calcium dynamics and subsequently synaptic weight updates in a deterministic manner. Through a series of exhaustive simulations and analyses, we found that the calcium dynamics

SUBMITTER: Bell MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9280073 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature