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Loss of Ryanodine Receptor 2 impairs neuronal activity-dependent remodeling of dendritic spines and triggers compensatory neuronal hyperexcitability.

Fabio BertanLena WischhofLiudmila SosulinaManuel MittagDennis DalüggeAlessandra FornarelliFabrizio GardoniElena MarcelloMonica Di LucaMartin FuhrmannStefan RemyDaniele BanoPierluigi Nicotera
Published in: Cell death and differentiation (2020)
Dendritic spines are postsynaptic domains that shape structural and functional properties of neurons. Upon neuronal activity, Ca2+ transients trigger signaling cascades that determine the plastic remodeling of dendritic spines, which modulate learning and memory. Here, we study in mice the role of the intracellular Ca2+ channel Ryanodine Receptor 2 (RyR2) in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. We demonstrate that loss of RyR2 in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus impairs maintenance and activity-evoked structural plasticity of dendritic spines during memory acquisition. Furthermore, post-developmental deletion of RyR2 causes loss of excitatory synapses, dendritic sparsification, overcompensatory excitability, network hyperactivity and disruption of spatially tuned place cells. Altogether, our data underpin RyR2 as a link between spine remodeling, circuitry dysfunction and memory acquisition, which closely resemble pathological mechanisms observed in neurodegenerative disorders.
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