Environmental stress triggers substantial alterations in animal physiology and, in some cases, brain structure. Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a new study reports that unfavorable conditions lead to dramatic dendrite remodeling in neurons that mediate an adaptive dispersal behavior.

Dendrites achieve characteristic spacing patterns during development to ensure appropriate coverage of territories. Mechanisms of dendrite positioning via repulsive dendrite-dendrite interactions are beginning to be elucidated, but the control, and importance, of dendrite positioning relative to their substrate is poorly understood. We found that dendritic branches of Drosophila dendritic arbor...

AIM To investigate whether in the prefrontal cortical (PFC) pyramidal cells, focal glutamate application to the apical dendrite induces bursting and whether the effect of glutamate involves activation of both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors. METHODS Pyramidal cells in layers V and VI of the PFC were visualized in rat brain slices using infrared videomicroscopy and recorded with whole-cell electro...

Dendritic spines are small protrusions on a neuronal dendrite that are the main locus of excitatory synaptic connections. Although their geometry is variable over time and along the dendrite, they typically consist of a relatively large head connected to the dendritic shaft by a narrow cylindrical neck. The surface of the head is connected smoothly by a funnel or non-smoothly to the narrow neck...

The regulation of cytoskeletal components in the dendritic shaft core is critical for dendrite elongation and branching. Here, we report that a brain-specific Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RasGEF) carrying two kinase non-catalytic C-lobe domains (KINDs), very-KIND (v-KIND), regulates microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). v-KIND is expressed in developing mouse brain, predominantly ...

−− An experimental study on solidification structure development and on endogenous inclusion precipitation in a continuously cast resulphurised steel is presented. Results were obtained by investigating two heats of a free cutting C-Mn steel cast in billets with a diameter of 145 mm. The as cast structure was evaluated by macroand microscopic analyses. Primary and secondary dendrite arm spacing...