Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the development, maturation, and aging of
synapses. The correlation of synaptic structure and function is a perennial goal of synaptic …

Although a great deal is known about the development of synaptic number, comparatively
little is known about the effects of development, and particularly aging, on the structure of the …

The preceding chapters have been concerned with the mode of operation of synapses in the
fully developed adult state; and even in that context they have been restricted to relatively …

Evidence is accumulating that synapse reorganization already starts during development,
soon after first synapses appear. Although remodeling continues throughout ontogenesis …

Synaptic junctions in the adult nervous system can be observed routinely with the electron
microscope and isolated by subcellular fractionation techniques after drastic disruption of …

Perforated synapses refer to a synaptic type found in the central nervous system, and
characterized by a discontinuous postsynaptic density when viewed in transverse sections; …

It has become increasingly clear that the development and maintenance of synaptic
connectivity patterns in the central and peripheral nervous system are not only based on the …

In contrast to previously accepted dogmas, during the last decades it has been clearly
demonstrated that the nervous system has a great capability to modify its structures in …

Quantitation of synaptic ultrastructural changes is of great importance in neurobiology, since
merely qualitative alterations, if not extreme, are not readily detectable. In the present paper …

Synapse replacement following injury is delayed in aged animals, but once underway it
proceeds at the same rate as in younger animals. Thus, aged animals have a similar …