Dynamic changes in the structural characteristics of the postsynaptic membrane and, in particular, of dendritic spines have been a topic of great interest over the last decade (reviewed in refs.

(a) Golgi stain of individual spines (courtesy of H. Okuno). (b) Analyzing one synapse at a time.Proteins expressed in dendritic spines are highly organized and form clusters; scaffolding proteins ...

This progressive, nearly inevitable process has long been hypothesized as a consequence of nature's removal of dendritic spines, a key component of synapses, from brain neurons as they age.

For 20 years, neuroscientists — including myself — have used cutting-edge microscopy technology in living animals to observe microscopic structures called dendritic spines constantly budding ...

The study suggests that mutations in the Usp9X gene could be a potential cause of autism. These mutations disrupt the ...

They measured changes in dendritic spine head size after stimulating the neurons since increases in the head size of these tiny protrusions often correlate with synaptic plasticity and brain processes ...