TY - JOUR
T1 - Illuminating the multifaceted roles of neurotransmission in shaping neuronal circuitry
AU - Okawa, Haruhisa
AU - Hoon, Mrinalini
AU - Yoshimatsu, Takeshi
AU - Santina, Luca Della
AU - Wong, Rachel O.L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work is supported by NIH grants (EY10699, EY17101, and EY14358 to R.O.L.W. and a Vision Core grant EY01730); a Human Frontier Science Program grant (RGP0035 to L. Lagnado, F. Schmitz, and R.O.L.W.); and a Knights Templar Eye Foundation career starter grant (M.H.). We thank P. Mardoum and C. Gamlin for their critical reading of the manuscript and helpful comments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Across the nervous system, neurons form highly stereotypic patterns of synaptic connections that are designed to serve specific functions. Mature wiring patterns are often attained upon the refinement of early, less precise connectivity. Much work has led to the prevailing view that many developing circuits are sculpted by activity-dependent competition among converging afferents, which results in the elimination of unwanted synapses and the maintenance and strengthening of desired connections. Studies of the vertebrate retina, however, have recently revealed that activity can play a role in shaping developing circuits without engaging competition among converging inputs that differ in their activity levels. Such neurotransmission-mediated processes can produce stereotypic wiring patterns by promoting selective synapse formation rather than elimination. We discuss how the influence of transmission may also be limited by circuit design and further highlight the importance of transmission beyond development in maintaining wiring specificity and synaptic organization of neural circuits.
AB - Across the nervous system, neurons form highly stereotypic patterns of synaptic connections that are designed to serve specific functions. Mature wiring patterns are often attained upon the refinement of early, less precise connectivity. Much work has led to the prevailing view that many developing circuits are sculpted by activity-dependent competition among converging afferents, which results in the elimination of unwanted synapses and the maintenance and strengthening of desired connections. Studies of the vertebrate retina, however, have recently revealed that activity can play a role in shaping developing circuits without engaging competition among converging inputs that differ in their activity levels. Such neurotransmission-mediated processes can produce stereotypic wiring patterns by promoting selective synapse formation rather than elimination. We discuss how the influence of transmission may also be limited by circuit design and further highlight the importance of transmission beyond development in maintaining wiring specificity and synaptic organization of neural circuits.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84916941074&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.029
DO - 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.029
M3 - Review article
C2 - 25233313
AN - SCOPUS:84916941074
SN - 0896-6273
VL - 83
SP - 1303
EP - 1318
JO - Neuron
JF - Neuron
IS - 6
ER -