Anthony Holtmaat
Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Basic Neurosciences
Group name: Structural synaptic plasticity
Domains: Sensory and Motor Systems, Development and Plasticity
Keywords: brain networks, cranial window implants, synapse, synaptic plasticity
Research activities
Our laboratory is interested in structural and morphological aspects of synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. We are testing the hypothesis that changes in the connectivity between neurons, through synapse formation and elimination, constitute a basis for training and experience-dependent adaptations in cortical network function. To this end we image cortical neurons in fluorescent transgenic mice in vivo and are able to track individual dendritic spines and axonal boutons over weeks while the animal receives new sensory experiences or loses sensory inputs. In addition we measure the molecular stability and dynamics of individual synapses by following the transport and diffusion of synaptic proteins carrying a fluorescent tag. Together these studies will deepen our understanding of how the nervous system is able to, on one hand maintain its synaptic network, and on the other hand subtly change its connectivity, in order to accommodate the animal’s memory storage as well as its ability to continuously adapt to an ever-changing environment.
Latest publications
The mesoSPIM initiative: open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue.
Higher-Order Thalamocortical Inputs Gate Synaptic Long-Term Potentiation via Disinhibition.
Reply to 'Can neocortical feedback alter the sign of plasticity?'
Neurogliaform cortical interneurons derive from cells in the preoptic area.
Contact
Faculté de médecine
Université de Genève
Email: Anthony.Holtmaat@unige.ch