Expression of Neural Proteoglycans Correlates with the Acquisition of Mature Neuronal Properties in the Mammalian Brain

Excerpt

The neurons in the mature mammalian central nervous system (CNS) are an enormously diverse group of cells. The acquisition of mature, differentiated neuronal properties takes place over an extended developmental period, through a number of different mechanisms. Some of the very last events in neuronal development occur late in the postnatal period, when the mature set of synapses between neurons and their targets is selected and the adult anatomical and physiological properties of neurons are acquired. Experiments in many different systems have shown that the mature set of synapses is selected from an initial set by selective stabilization of some synapses and elimination of others (for review, see Purves and Lichtman 1985). The process of synapse selection is governed, at least in part, by neuronal activity. Temporal matching of pre-and postsynaptic activity is thought to be critical in determining whether a synapse will be retained or lost. Environmental stimuli (such...