A new framework describing the formation and development of learning-related dendritic spines

Learning is known to promote the creation of new connections in the brain, particularly excitatory synapses, synapses that increase the likelihood of action potential firing in neurons. Action potentials are changes in electrical potential that are linked to the passage of impulses on the membranes of muscle or nerve cells.

Neuroscience studies showed that learning ultimately leads to the formation of new dendritic spines, small protrusions emerging from a neuron's dendrites (i.e., complex, branch-shaped extensions of cells). While this finding is widely documented, the functions of these newly formed, learning-related dendritic spines is still poorly understood.

Researchers at University of California, San Diego have recently carried out a study investigating how learning affects the genesis and development of dendritic spines in more depth. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that the formation of new spines during learning could in fact be guided by the potentiation of some functionally divided, pre-existing spines.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-framework-formation-learning-related-dendritic-spines.html