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Review
. 2002 Sep;25(9):438-41; discussion 441.
doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(02)02232-4.

Raising the speed limit--fast Ca(2+) handling in dendritic spines

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Review

Raising the speed limit--fast Ca(2+) handling in dendritic spines

Fritjof Helmchen. Trends Neurosci. 2002 Sep.

Abstract

Ca2+ influx into dendritic spines is involved in the induction of both long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) by activating distinct biochemical cascades, depending on the stimulation protocol. Such conditional activation can be explained by the finding that removal of Ca2+ from spines is extremely rapid (approximately 15 ms) and promoted by a low endogenous buffering capacity. As a consequence, the time course of influx and binding kinetics are important determinants of how much Ca2+ binds to a particular enzyme. In addition structural factors, such as shape and dendritic location, could contribute to fine-tuning of spine Ca2+ handling and synaptic modification.

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