Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease

Disruption of synaptic function at excitatory synapses is one of the earliest pathological changes seen in wide range of neurological diseases. The proper control of the segregation of neurotransmitter receptors at these synapses is directly correlated with the intact regulation of the postsynaptic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Holly Stefen, Chanchanok Chaichim, John Power, Thomas Fath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Neural Plasticity
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2371970
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850157960081178624
author Holly Stefen
Chanchanok Chaichim
John Power
Thomas Fath
author_facet Holly Stefen
Chanchanok Chaichim
John Power
Thomas Fath
author_sort Holly Stefen
collection DOAJ
description Disruption of synaptic function at excitatory synapses is one of the earliest pathological changes seen in wide range of neurological diseases. The proper control of the segregation of neurotransmitter receptors at these synapses is directly correlated with the intact regulation of the postsynaptic cytoskeleton. In this review, we are discussing key factors that regulate the structure and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton, the major cytoskeletal building block that supports the postsynaptic compartment. Special attention is given to the complex interplay of actin-associated proteins that are found in the synaptic specialization. We then discuss our current understanding of how disruption of these cytoskeletal elements may contribute to the pathological events observed in the nervous system under disease conditions with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
format Article
id doaj-art-622ab47c228b4f5a842db2fa08ecf02b
institution OA Journals
issn 2090-5904
1687-5443
language English
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Neural Plasticity
spelling doaj-art-622ab47c228b4f5a842db2fa08ecf02b2025-08-20T02:24:00ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432016-01-01201610.1155/2016/23719702371970Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in DiseaseHolly Stefen0Chanchanok Chaichim1John Power2Thomas Fath3Neurodegeneration and Repair Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaNeurodegeneration and Repair Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaTranslational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaNeurodegeneration and Repair Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaDisruption of synaptic function at excitatory synapses is one of the earliest pathological changes seen in wide range of neurological diseases. The proper control of the segregation of neurotransmitter receptors at these synapses is directly correlated with the intact regulation of the postsynaptic cytoskeleton. In this review, we are discussing key factors that regulate the structure and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton, the major cytoskeletal building block that supports the postsynaptic compartment. Special attention is given to the complex interplay of actin-associated proteins that are found in the synaptic specialization. We then discuss our current understanding of how disruption of these cytoskeletal elements may contribute to the pathological events observed in the nervous system under disease conditions with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease pathology.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2371970
spellingShingle Holly Stefen
Chanchanok Chaichim
John Power
Thomas Fath
Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
Neural Plasticity
title Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
title_full Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
title_fullStr Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
title_full_unstemmed Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
title_short Regulation of the Postsynaptic Compartment of Excitatory Synapses by the Actin Cytoskeleton in Health and Its Disruption in Disease
title_sort regulation of the postsynaptic compartment of excitatory synapses by the actin cytoskeleton in health and its disruption in disease
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2371970
work_keys_str_mv AT hollystefen regulationofthepostsynapticcompartmentofexcitatorysynapsesbytheactincytoskeletoninhealthanditsdisruptionindisease
AT chanchanokchaichim regulationofthepostsynapticcompartmentofexcitatorysynapsesbytheactincytoskeletoninhealthanditsdisruptionindisease
AT johnpower regulationofthepostsynapticcompartmentofexcitatorysynapsesbytheactincytoskeletoninhealthanditsdisruptionindisease
AT thomasfath regulationofthepostsynapticcompartmentofexcitatorysynapsesbytheactincytoskeletoninhealthanditsdisruptionindisease