The BDNF-induced increase (left) in synapses (red) on a neuron (green) is lost if β-catenin and cadherin are locked together (right).
Dispersal is triggered by the neurotrophin called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is produced and secreted by active nerve terminals. BDNF turns on TrkB tyrosine kinase receptor to enhance synaptic communication and increase synaptic size and density.
As synapses communicate via the secretion of neurotrophin-containing presynaptic vesicles, the authors studied BDNF's effect on vesicle behavior. They found that treatment of hippocampal neurons with BDNF dispersed synaptic vesicles into the region surrounding the original synapse. The dispersal of synaptic vesicles might help to form new synapses as the clusters of mobile vesicles populate new territories,...
