Rapid remodeling of retinal arbors in the tectum with and without blockade of synaptic transmission

O'Rourke, N. A., Cline, H. T., Fraser, S. E. (April 1994) Rapid remodeling of retinal arbors in the tectum with and without blockade of synaptic transmission. Neuron, 12 (4). pp. 921-34.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8161460
DOI: 10.1016/0896-6273(94)90343-3

Abstract

Dynamic rearrangements of axon terminal arbors may be critical for establishing appropriate connections in the developing nervous system. Here, the changes in complex retinal axon arbors in the tecta of live Xenopus larvae were followed during the formation of the topographic retinotectal projection. Three-dimensional reconstructions of terminal arbors made with a confocal microscope at hourly intervals revealed rapid remodeling of arbor extensions. Shorter branches were extended and retracted very rapidly, suggesting that they probe the environment for the optimal sites to form stable branches. About 27% of longer branches were present throughout the entire observation period and may be sites of stabilized synaptic contacts. Treatment of the animals to block postsynaptic activity resulted in increased rates of arbor rearrangements, which may coincide with decreased synapse stability. These studies reveal the dynamic behavior of nerve arbors and provide estimates for the lifetimes of retinotectal branches.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Animals Axons/*physiology/ultrastructure Electrophysiology Larva/ultrastructure N-Methylaspartate/pharmacology Neural Pathways/growth & development/ultrastructure Retina/drug effects/growth & development/*ultrastructure Superior Colliculus/growth & development/*ultrastructure Xenopus laevis/growth & development
Subjects: organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > axon
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > axon > axon arbors
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > retina
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > synaptic transmission
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Cline lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: April 1994
Date Deposited: 19 May 2015 20:52
Last Modified: 19 May 2015 20:52
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/31462

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