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Free keywords:
Animals
Dendrites/*metabolism
Humans
Models, Molecular
Nerve Tissue Proteins/*biosynthesis/metabolism
Neuronal Plasticity/physiology
RNA, Messenger/metabolism
Synapses/metabolism
Abstract:
It has long been shown that protein synthesis can occur in neuronal dendrites, but its significance remained unclear until relatively recently. Studies suggest that local protein synthesis has crucial roles in synaptic plasticity, the change in neuronal communication efficiency that is probably a cellular basis of learning and memory. Induced by neuronal activity, local protein synthesis provides key factors for the modification of activated synapses. In this review, we summarize the evidence for local protein synthesis and its functions in synaptic plasticity. We also discuss the molecular mechanisms by which neuronal activity induces the synthesis of proteins that allow for changes in synaptic function.
