Compartmentalized dendritic plasticity and input feature storage in neurons
Abstract
Although information storage in the central nervous system is thought to be primarily mediated by various forms of synaptic plasticity, other mechanisms, such as modifications in membrane excitability, are available. Local dendritic spikes are nonlinear voltage events that are initiated within dendritic branches by spatially clustered and temporally synchronous synaptic input. That local spikes selectively respond only to appropriately correlated input allows them to function as input feature detectors and potentially as powerful information storage mechanisms. However, it is currently unknown whether any effective form of local dendritic spike plasticity exists. Here we show that the coupling between local dendritic spikes and the soma of rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons can be modified in a branch-specific manner through an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent regulation of dendritic Kv4.2 potassium channels. These data suggest that compartmentalized changes in branch excitability could store multiple complex features of synaptic input, such as their spatio-temporal correlation. We propose that this 'branch strength potentiation' represents a previously unknown form of information storage that is distinct from that produced by changes in synaptic efficacy both at the mechanistic level and in the type of information stored.
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Single neurons often exhibit branch-specific plasticity rather than global weighting adjustments, contradicting the assumption that synaptic weights represent statistical parameters in a coherent probabilistic model.
“Moreover, single neurons often exhibit branch-specific plasticity rather than global weighting adjustments (Losonczy et al. 2008), contradicting the assumption that synaptic weights represent statistical parameters in a coherent probabilistic model.”
From The myth of the Bayesian brain (2025) · cites this paper as Losonczy et al. 2008
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“Note the number of cells shown is unrealistically small for illustration clarity. to individual dendritic segments (Stuart and Häusser, 2001; Losonczy et al., 2008).”
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“Moreover, single neurons often exhibit branch-specific plasticity rather than global weighting adjustments (Losonczy et al. 2008), contra-dicting the assumption that synaptic weights represent statistical parameters in a coherent probabilistic model.”
- Authors
- Losonczy, A., Makara, J. K., & Magee, J. C.
- Affiliations
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Losonczy, Attila
- Makara, Judit K.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2008-03
- Volume
- 452
- Issue
- 7186
- Pages
- 436-441
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1979009696
- Cited by
- 598
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 44
- FWCI
- 19.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion channel regulation and function
- Keywords
- dendritic spikes, dendritic plasticity, CA1 pyramidal neurons, NMDA receptor, Kv4.2 potassium channel, spatio-temporal correlation, dendritic compartmentalization, information storage, synaptic plasticity
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Dendrites, Male, Models, Neurological, Neuronal Plasticity, Ion Channel Gating, Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Pyramidal Cells, Cell Shape, Mice, Rats, Shal Potassium Channels
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