Experience-Dependent Synapse Reorganization in the Living Brain

Abstract 

One fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain processes and stores information. As the information-processing elements in the brain, neurons communicate via specialized connections called synapses. The majority of excitatory synapses reside at dendritic spines, which serve as a good proxy for synaptic connectivity. Using transcranial two-photon microscopy to visualize fluorescently-labeled neurons in transgenic mice, our recent studies followed the dynamics of spines on apical dendrites of L5 pyramidal neurons in the living brain. In this talk, I will discuss our findings on how experience (both positive and negative) affects cortical circuits and synapse plasticity.