In the brain, most synapses are formed on minute protrusions known as dendritic spines.
Unlike their artificial intelligence counterparts, spines are not merely tuneable memory …

Self-assembly is a ubiquitous process in synthetic and biological systems, broadly defined
as the spontaneous organization of multiple subunits (macromolecules, particles, etc.) into …

One of the major challenges in modern biology is to understand how the molecular
components of a living cell operate in a highly noisy environment. What are the specific …

Neuronal membrane excitability must be resilient to perturbations that can take place over
timescales from milliseconds to months (or even years in long-lived animals). A great deal of …

Synaptic plasticity–the directed modulation of synaptic connections by specific activity
histories or physiological signals–is believed to be a major mechanism for the modification …

Excitatory synapses on dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons are considered a central
memory locus. To foster both continuous adaption and the storage of long-term information …

The extraordinary diversity of excitatory synapse sizes is commonly attributed to activity-
dependent processes that drive synaptic growth and diminution. Recent studies also point to …

Dendritic spines are crucial for excitatory synaptic transmission as the size of a spine head
correlates with the strength of its synapse. The distribution of spine head sizes follows a …

Changes in the efficacies of synapses are thought to be the neurobiological basis of
learning and memory. The efficacy of a synapse depends on its current number of …

Our brains continuously acquire and store memories through synaptic plasticity. However,
spontaneous synaptic changes can also occur and pose a challenge for maintaining stable …