L2 Circuit Development Flashcards
Axonal growth cone
highly specialized structure on axons, forms into presynaptic ending or terminal end of dendrite
highly motile, explore outside environment, sensing what is around the axon, guide the axon
activity is critical for formation of tracts and circuits within the brain
Lamellipodium
sheetlike expansion of the growing axon and its tip
Filopodia
fine processes that extend from each lammelopodium
like little fingers that reach out to test the environment
Filopodia and Lamellipodium makeup
distinguished from axon shaft b/c of specific cytoskeleton molecules (actin and tubulin)
ATP dependent, force generating interactions between the cytoskeleton proteins provides energy and power to propel the growth cone to its target
Chemoattraction
target-derived signals selectively attract growth cones to useful destinations
trophic molecules then help to support the survival and growth of the neurons
Chemorepulsion
chemorepellant signals that discourage axon growth toward inappropriate regions
Dendritic tiling
ensures proper modulation of dendritic growth, makes sure each dendrite occupies appropriate space for axons to synapse onto it
includes: dendrites not growing toward other dendrites from same neuron, dendrites from different neurons are repelled from each other
formation of topographic maps
(maps of neuronal connections)
crushed nerves return to original topographic location, suggests that gradients of cell surface molecules that help growing axons
Trophic molecules and survival
remember that trophic molecules help to support the survival and growth of the neurons
Neurotrophic factors
secreted from from “target tissues”
regulate differentiation, growth, survival
help regulate the phase of neural development that begins once neurogenesis has concluded, including cell death
helps cells to match to the need (remember chicken embryo with arm cut off)
What happens with the first growth cone reaching a new area?
growth cone changes dramatically
lamellipodium expands
numerous filopodia are extended
growth cone changes shape
Axon cytoskeleton
regulates changes in lamellipodial and filopodial shape for directed growth
Microtubule cytoskeleton
responsible for the elongation of the axon
Netrin
chemoattraction molecule
semaphorins
chemorepellant
active during neural development
bound to cell surfaces or ECM, prevent extension of nearby axons
Trophic interaction
long-term dependency between neurons and targets
dependence is based on a signaling molecule provided by target cells, called neurotrophic factors
Why do developing neurons depend so strongly on their targets?
because of the changing scale of the developing nervous system and the body it serves, combined with the need to match the demands of the body
an initial surplus of neural cells are produced
Cell death is programmed for neural cells that do not attach themselves to a target
Synapse elimination
each target cell is initially innervated by axons from several central motor neurons
inputs are naturally lost during early postnatal development until only one axon remains per target cell
the # of synaptic contacts don’t decrease, but actually increase with age
Convergence
number of inputs to target cell
Divergence
number of connections made by a neuron