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Part 1: Chapter 23
Construction of Neural Circuits
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Undergraduate 2
09/08/2014

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Term
neurites
Definition
small extensions from an immature neuron that have neither axonal nor dendritic identities yet
Term
growth cone
Definition
a specialized structure at the tip of the extending axon; explore the extracellular environment, determine the direction of growth, guide the axon in that direction
Term
lamellipodium
Definition
a sheetlike expansion of the growing axon at the tip of the growth cone
Term
actin cytoskeleton
Definition
regulates changes in the lamellipodial & filopodial shape for directed growth
Term
microtubule cytoskeleton
Definition
responsible for the elongation of the axon itself
Term
tropic molecules
Definition
guide growing axons toward a source
Term
trophic molecules
Definition
support the survival & growth of neurons & their processes once an appropriate target has been contacted
Term
slit & robo
Definition
prevent an axon from straying back over the midline once is has crossed initially in response to netrin
Term
trophic interaction
Definition
long-term dependency between neurons and their targets; in the absence of synaptic partners, axons & dendrites of developing neurons typically atrophy & often die
Term
neurotrophic factors/neurotrophins
Definition
signaling molecules provided by target cells that creates the nourishment provided by trophic interactions
Term
apoptosis
Definition
the highly regulated processes that result in cell death
Term
polyneuronal innervation
Definition
target cells that are supposed to be innervated by a single axon are initially innervated by axons from several neurons
Term
synapse elimination
Definition
inputs to a polyneuronal innervation are gradually lost during early postnatal development until only one remains
Term
convergence
Definition
the number of inputs to a target cell
Term
divergence
Definition
the number of connections made by a neuron
Term
nerve growth factor/NGF
Definition
neurotrophic protein; elicits robust growth of neuronal processes
Term
5 well-characterized neurotrophins
Definition
1. NGF
2. brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
3. neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)
4. neurotrophin-4
5. neurotrophin-5
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