Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Nat Chem Biol. 2010 Feb;6(2):89-97. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.298.
The ability of the mammalian brain to undergo experience-based adaptations is among its most important and fascinating properties. Such plasticity is reflected in the capacity of neuronal activity to continuously modify the neural circuitry that underlies thought, feeling and behavior. The locus of this plasticity occurs at the level of synapses, the specialized junctions where one neuron receives chemical signals from another. Synaptic connections become stronger or weaker in response to specific patterns of activity. This activity drives regulated changes in the neurotransmitter released by presynaptic neurons and in the receptors localized on postsynaptic neurons. Detailed studies of these receptors have advanced our understanding of synaptic plasticity. However, many key questions remain unresolved, and over the past decade innovative chemical approaches have emerged to tackle them. Here we review these chemical tools and their application to unraveling the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity.
哺乳动物大脑具有基于经验的适应能力，这是其最重要和最迷人的特性之一。这种可塑性反映在神经元活动不断改变潜在思想、感觉和行为的神经回路的能力上。这种可塑性的发生位置在突触水平，即一个神经元从另一个神经元接收化学信号的专门连接处。突触连接会根据特定的活动模式变得更强或更弱。这种活动驱动了由前神经元释放的神经递质和位于后神经元上的受体的调节变化。对这些受体的详细研究增进了我们对突触可塑性的理解。然而，仍有许多关键问题尚未解决，在过去十年中，创新的化学方法已经出现来解决这些问题。在这里，我们回顾这些化学工具及其在揭示突触可塑性的分子基础方面的应用。
