Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ultanir SK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2148327 | biostudies-other | 2007 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Ultanir Sila K SK Kim Ji-Eun JE Hall Benjamin J BJ Deerinck Thomas T Ellisman Mark M Ghosh Anirvan A
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20071128 49
Dendritic spines are the major sites of excitatory synaptic transmission in the CNS, and their size and density influence the functioning of neuronal circuits. Here we report that NMDA receptor signaling plays a critical role in regulating spine size and density in the developing cortex. Genetic deletion of the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor in the cortex leads to a decrease in spine density and an increase in spine head size in cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. This process is accompanied ...[more]