RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Structural Plasticity Underlies Experience-Dependent Functional Plasticity of Cortical Circuits
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 4927
OP 4932
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6403-09.2010
VO 30
IS 14
A1 Wilbrecht, Linda
A1 Holtmaat, Anthony
A1 Wright, Nick
A1 Fox, Kevin
A1 Svoboda, Karel
YR 2010
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/14/4927.abstract
AB The stabilization of new spines in the barrel cortex is enhanced after whisker trimming, but its relationship to experience-dependent plasticity is unclear. Here we show that in wild-type mice, whisker potentiation and spine stabilization are most pronounced for layer 5 neurons at the border between spared and deprived barrel columns. In homozygote αCaMKII-T286A mice, which lack experience-dependent potentiation of responses to spared whiskers, there is no increase in new spine stabilization at the border between barrel columns after whisker trimming. Our data provide a causal link between new spine synapses and plasticity of adult cortical circuits and suggest that αCaMKII autophosphorylation plays a role in the stabilization but not formation of new spines.