Cited by 574Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Ultrastructural evidence for synaptic scaling across the wake/sleep cycle

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de Vivo, Luisa, Bellesi, Michele, Marshall, William, Bushong, Eric A., Ellisman, Mark H., Tononi, Giulio, Cirelli, Chiara·2017·Science

Abstract

Synapse remodeling during sleep: General activity and information processing while an animal is awake drive synapse strengthening. This is counterbalanced by weakening of synapses during sleep (see the Perspective by Acsády). De Vivo et al. used serial scanning electron microscopy to reconstruct axon-spine interface and spine head volume in the mouse brain. They observed a substantial decrease in interface size after sleep. The largest relative changes occurred among weak synapses, whereas strong ones remained stable. Diering et al. found that synapses undergo changes in synaptic glutamate receptors during the sleep-wake cycle, driven by the immediate early gene Homer1a. In awake animals, Homer1a accumulates in neurons but is excluded from synapses by high levels of noradrenaline. At the onset of sleep, noradrenaline levels decline, allowing Homer1a to move to excitatory synapses and drive synapse weakening. Science , this issue p. 457 , p. 507 ; see also p. 511

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  • At the morphological level, synaptic downscaling during sleep is not ubiquitous but may spare some select synapses that are particularly large or were involved in prior encoding, resulting in increased connectivity at these synapses.

    “At the morphological level, there is evidence that synaptic downscaling during sleep is not ubiquitous but may spare some select synapses that are particularly large or were involved in prior encoding, resulting in increased connectivity at these synapses 163,164,228,231 (Figure 2C).”

    From Sleep—A brain-state serving systems memory consolidation (2023) · cites this paper as [163]

    The Abstract reports that sleep-related downscaling is selective and spares some large synapses. It does not establish that the spared synapses were involved in prior encoding or that their connectivity increased; it says only that a few synapses might upscale during sleep. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • The findings overall point to a compartmentalized response in regulation of synaptic scaling during sleep, with both synaptic strengthening and weakening occurring within the same cell during SWS and REM sleep, possibly depending on synapse size, AMPA receptor densities, and immediate early gene levels.

    “Interestingly, beyond evidencing the co-occurrence of differential synaptic scaling during sleep at global and local levels, the findings overall point to a compartmentalized response in this regulation.”

    From Sleep—A brain-state serving systems memory consolidation (2023) · cites this paper as [163]

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Authors
de Vivo, L., Bellesi, M., Marshall, W., Bushong, E. A., Ellisman, M. H., Tononi, G., & Cirelli, C.
Affiliations
  • Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, WI 53719, USA.
  • Marche Polytechnic University (IT)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
  • Tononi, Giulio
  • Cirelli, Chiara
Venue
Science
Published
2017-02-03
Volume
355
Issue
6324
Pages
507-510
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2583421592
Cited by
574
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 41 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 74 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 2
FWCI
37.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Unicam Scientific Publications (University of Camerino) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • Università Politecnica delle Marche (Università Politecnica delle Marche) (submittedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • NIH (DP 1OD579, 1R01MH091326, 1R01MH099231, 1P01NS083514, P41GM103412)
  • National Center for Microscopy and Imaging
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
synaptic scaling, sleep, wakefulness, synaptic plasticity, dendritic spines, synaptic depression, synaptic potentiation, motor cortex, sensory cortex, endosomal recycling, 3D electron microscopy, mice
MeSH terms
Animals, Axons, Learning, Microscopy, Electron, Motor Cortex, Sleep, Somatosensory Cortex, Spine, Synapses, Wakefulness, Long-Term Potentiation, Mice

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