A critical window for cooperation and competition among developing retinotectal synapses

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 395; no. 6697; pp. 37 - 44
• Main Authors: Poo, Mu-ming, Zhang, Li I, Tao, Huizhong W, Holt, Christine E, Harris, William A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 03.09.1998; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Amphibians; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - embryology; Brain - physiology; Competition; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; Eyes & eyesight; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Neurology; Neurons; Retina - embryology; Retina - physiology; Superior Colliculi - embryology; Superior Colliculi - physiology; Synapses - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Xenopus laevis; Efferent projection; Xenopus laevis; Central nervous system; Discharge pattern; Amphibia; Electrophysiology; Retina; Optic tectum; Salientia; Neural network; Eye; Visual system; Vertebrata; Synapse; Visual pathway; Synaptic plasticity; Development; Timing; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/25665

In the developing frog visual system, topographic refinement of the retinotectal projection depends on electrical activity. In vivo whole-cell recording from developing Xenopus tectal neurons shows that convergent retinotectal synapses undergo activity-dependent cooperation and competition following correlated pre- and postsynaptic spiking within a narrow time window. Synaptic inputs activated repetitively within 20 ms before spiking of the tectal neuron become potentiated, whereas subthreshold inputs activated within 20 ms after spiking become depressed. Thus both the initial synaptic strength and the temporal order of activation are critical for heterosynaptic interactions among convergent synaptic inputs during activity-dependent refinement of developing neural networks.