Neuronal activity drives matching of pre- and postsynaptic function during synapse maturation

Abstract

The presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments of neurons are structurally correlated from initial synaptogenesis. Here the authors show that functional matching is gradually shaped by ongoing electrical activity during maturation. The structure and function of presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments varies markedly in neurons, but little is known about how they are functionally arranged with respect to each other. In rat hippocampal neurons, we found that, although they are structurally correlated from the early moments of formation, synapses only gradually become functionally matched and that this process is dependent on ongoing electrical activity.