Backpropagating Action Potentials Trigger Dendritic Release of BDNF during Spontaneous Network Activity

Backpropagating action potentials trigger dendritic release of BDNF during spontaneous network activity.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major regulator of activity-dependent synapse development and plasticity. Because BDNF is a secreted protein, it has been proposed that BDNF is released from target neurons in an activity-dependent manner. However, direct evidence for postsynaptic release of BDNF triggered by ongoing network activity is still lacking. Here we transfected cultures of...

Somatic spikes regulate dendritic signaling in small neurons in the absence of backpropagating action potentials.

Somatic spiking is known to regulate dendritic signaling and associative synaptic plasticity in many types of large neurons, but it is unclear whether somatic action potentials play similar roles in small neurons. Here we ask whether somatic action potentials can also influence dendritic signaling in an electrically compact neuron, the cerebellar stellate cell (SC). Experiments were conducted i...

Etomidate reduces initiation of backpropagating dendritic action potentials: implications for sensory processing and synaptic plasticity during anesthesia.

Anesthetics may induce specific changes that alter the balance of activity within neural networks. Here we describe the effects of the GABA(A) receptor potentiating anesthetic etomidate on sensory processing, studied in a cerebellum-like structure, the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) of mormyrid fish, in vitro. Previous studies have shown that the ELL integrates sensory input and removes...

Processing and Synaptic Plasticity During Anesthesia Dendritic Action Potentials: Implications for Sensory Etomidate Reduces Initiation of Backpropagating

Back-propagating action potential: A key contributor in activity-dependent dendritic release of BDNF.

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is crucial for the formation of appropriate synaptic connections during development and for learning and memory in adults. Secretion of this neurotrophin is under activity-dependent control. Understanding which patterns of physiological activity regulate BDNF secretion is therefore an important step in the comprehension of its role. We have recently show...