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PMID: 12447978 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Review

Complexity of calcium signaling in synaptic spines.

BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology ·Vol. 24 ·No. 12 ·2002-12-00 ·Pages 1130-44

Franks KM, Sejnowski TJ

Abstract

Long-term potentiation and long-term depression are thought to be cellular mechanisms contributing to learning and memory. Although the physiological phenomena have been well characterized, little consensus of their underlying molecular mechanisms has emerged. One reason for this may be the under-appreciated complexity of the signaling pathways that can arise if key signaling molecules are discretely localized within the synapse. Recent findings suggest an unanticipated degree of structural organization at the synapse, and improved methods in cellular imaging of living tissue have provided much-needed information about the intracellular dynamics of Ca(2+), thought to be critical for both LTP and LTD. In this review, we briefly summarize some of these developments, and show that a more complete understanding of cellular signaling depends on the successful integration of traditional biochemistry and molecular biology with the spatial and temporal details of synaptic ultrastructure. Biophysically realistic computer simulations can have an important role in bridging these disciplines.

MeSH Terms
Animals Calcium/metabolism Dendrites/physiology Humans Learning Memory Microscopy, Fluorescence Models, Biological Monte Carlo Method Neurons/metabolism Signal Transduction Synapses/metabolism,physiology Time Factors
Chemicals
Calcium
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Franks Kevin M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Salk Institute, Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Sejnowski Terrence J
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Article Info
Journal
BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology
Abbr.
Bioessays
ISSN
0265-9247
DOI
10.1002/bies.10193
Published
2002-12-00
Pages
1130-44
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
8510851
PMCID
PMC2944017
Subset
IM
Grants
Howard Hughes Medical Institute · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1002/bies.10193 PMC Full Text View journal details
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