Actin and the agile spine: How and why do dendritic spines dance?
Abstract
Since early anatomical descriptions, the existence of dendritic spines has stimulated intense curiosity and speculation about their regulation and function. Research over the past three decades has described an impressive mutability in dendritic-spine number and morphology under a variety of physiological circumstances. Current evidence favors a proposed model in which two pools of actin filaments, one stable and the other dynamic, support both persistent spine structure and rapid spine motility. Potential functions of spine motility and dynamic actin include regulated protein scaffolding, retrograde signaling and synapse stabilization.
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Given the high density of synapses, dendrites, and cellular processes in cortex, even subtle activity-related dendritic-spine "twitching" may alter the diffusion environment of water molecules.
“Given the high density of synapses (8 108/mm3), dendrites (400 m/mm3), and cellular processes in cortex (Shapson-Coe et al., 2024), even subtle activity-related dendritic-spine “twitching” (Crick, 1982) may alter the diffusion environment of water molecules (Halpain, 2000; Le Bihan, 2007).”
From 40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers (2026) · cites this paper as Halpain, 2000
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Looking into the functional architecture of the brain with diffusion MRI.
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40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers
Le Bihan, D. (2026) · Imaging Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/imag.a.1365
“Given the high density of synapses (8 10 8 /mm 3 ), dendrites (400 m/mm 3 ), and cellular processes in cortex ( Shapson-Coe et al., 2024), even subtle activity-related dendritic-spine “twitching” ( Crick, 1982) may alter the diffusion environment of water molecules ( Halpain, 2000; Le Bihan, 2007).”
- Authors
- Halpain, S.
- Affiliations
- Scripps Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Halpain, Shelley
- ORCID
- Halpain, Shelley
- Venue
- Trends in Neurosciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-04
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 141-146
- ISSN
- 0166-2236 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1966991127
- Cited by
- 169
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 1.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Neurosciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Keywords
- dendritic spines, F-actin, spine motility, dendritic spine morphology, protein scaffolding, retrograde signaling, synapse stabilization
- MeSH terms
- Actins, Animals, Cytoskeleton, Dendrites, Humans
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