Balanced synaptic impact via distance-dependent synapse distribution and complementary expression of AMPARs and NMDARs in hippocampal dendrites

Vilas Menon, Timothy F. Musial, Annie Liu, Yael Katz, William L. Kath, Nelson Spruston*, Daniel A. Nicholson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neuronal computation involves the integration of synaptic inputs that are often distributed over expansive dendritic trees, suggesting the need for compensatory mechanisms that enable spatially disparate synapses to influence neuronal output. In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, such mechanisms have indeed been reported, which normalize either the ability of distributed synapses to drive action potential initiation in the axon or their ability to drive dendritic spiking locally. Here we report that these mechanisms can coexist, through an elegant combination of distance-dependent regulation of synapse number and synaptic expression of AMPA and NMDA receptors. Together, these complementary gradients allow individual dendrites in both the apical and basal dendritic trees of hippocampal neurons to operate as facile computational subunits capable of supporting both global integration in the soma/axon and local integration in the dendrite.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1451-1463
Number of pages13
JournalNeuron
Volume80
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 18 2013

Funding

The authors thank Stephen Smith’s laboratory and John Morrison’s laboratory for help with array tomography and fluorescent dye loading, respectively, and members of the Nicholson and Spruston laboratories for helpful discussions. This work was supported by R01 AG017139, R00 AG031574, and the Charles and M.R. Shapiro Foundation (D.A.N.); T32 AG000269 (T.F.M); and R01 NS046064 (W.L.K. and N.S.), R01 NS077601 (W.L.K. and N.S.), R01 NS035180 (N.S.), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (N.S.).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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