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Published October 27, 2000 | public
Journal Article

Signal-processing machines at the postsynaptic density

Abstract

Dendrites of individual neurons in the vertebrate central nervous system are contacted by thousands of synaptic terminals relaying information about the environment. The postsynaptic membrane at each synaptic terminal is the first place where information is processed as it converges on the dendrite. At the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses, neurotransmitter receptors are attached to large protein "signaling machines" that delicately regulate the strength of synaptic transmission. These machines are visible in the electron microscope and are called the postsynaptic density. By changing synaptic strength in response to neural activity, the postsynaptic density contributes to information processing and the formation of memories.

Additional Information

© 2000 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Supported by NIH grants NS17660 and NS28710 and by the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation. I thank all the members of my laboratory for helpful discussions and for making our contribution to this research possible.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023