Hooking Up (IMAGE)

Salk Institute

Hooking Up

Caption

Top: Newborn neurons send out tiny dendritic protrusions (shown in green) that seek out pre-synaptic areas -- the sending terminals of nerve cells (shown in purple) -- that are already well-connected within the established circuitry (shown in red). Middle: Over time, the tip of the dendritic protrusions thickens, strengthening the connection between young and old. Bottom: As the young neuron matures, it monopolizes the synaptic connection site.

Credit

Image courtesy of Nicolas Toni, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

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