Cell biology of synaptic plasticity.

The nervous system of mammals retains throughout the animals' life-span the ability to modify the number, nature, and level of activity of its synapses. Synaptic plasticity is most evident after injury to the nervous system, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms that make it possible are beginning to be understood. Transplantation of brain tissue provides a powerful approach for studying mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. In turn, understanding the response of the central nervous system to injury can be used to optimize transplant survival and integration with the host brain.