Material below summarizes the article Neuron Morphology Influences Axon Initial Segment Plasticity, published on January 18, 2016, in eNeuro, and authored by Allan T. Gulledge and Jaime J. Bravo.
Most studies of plasticity in the nervous system focus on mechanisms regulating the synaptic connectivity between neurons. Yet plasticity in neuron function extends well beyond the synapse to include any structural or functional change that alters the way neurons transduce synaptic input into action potential output, a process known as synaptic integration.
In vertebrate neurons, the final stage of synaptic integration, the generation of action potentials, occurs in the axon initial segment (AIS). The AIS is a specialized region of the proximal axon that is enriched with the voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) responsible for action potential initiation and propagation.
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