Structural synaptic changes and their role in experience-dependent plasticity (A07)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2010 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 118803580

Formation and elimination of spine synapses is a hallmark of plasticity in cortical circuits but the functional consequences of these changes are largely unknown. We will characterize the signals carried by newly formed or eliminated spines by measuring their activation during paradigms of neuronal plasticity in brain slices and in the intact brain. We will co-express genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors and structural indicators in sparse subsets of neurons and ask (i) if new spines contribute to strengthening of synaptic connections during LTP in vitro and (ii) if spine turnover drives the plasticity of eye-specific responses during both normal sensory experience and monocular deprivation in vivo.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 870: Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits in Sensory Processing
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Tobias Bonhoeffer; Professor Dr. Tobias Rose; Professor Dr. Volker Scheuss, until 12/2013