Abstract
SummaryIn certain subtypes of pyramidal neurons, axons originate from basal dendrites, resulting in an axon-carrying dendrite branch with unique functional characteristics (AcD cells). The number of AcD cells increases during development, however, it is so far unclear whether neurons remodel their axon emergence throughout their lifetime in response to changes in network activity. To test our hypothesis of such large-scale morphological plasticity, we utilizedin vitroandin vivostrategies in mouse primary somatosensory cortex to test whether network activity impacts axon onset. Based on data obtained by immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy and/or live-cell imaging, we show that neurons are indeed capable of changing the onset of their axon origin from somatic to dendritic andvice versawithin a few daysin vitroand that peripheral whisker manipulation and thus changes in sensory input drives large-scale morphological plasticityin vivo.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory