Change with distance from the soma

Abstract

Neuroscience Hippocampal neurons receive and integrate synaptic input along their dendritic tree. Inputs located near the cell soma or in the distal dendrite contribute differently to neuronal integration by a variety of mechanisms, including NMDA receptor (NMDAR)–dependent plasticity processes. Using superresolution microscopy, single-nanoparticle imaging, and glutamate uncaging, Ferreira et al. investigated the nanoscale organization of NMDARs containing the subunits GluN2A and GluN2B along the dendritic tree. The organization and surface dynamics of GluN2B-NMDARs, but not of GluN2A-NMDARs, changed between proximal and distal clusters, with a gradual increase in receptor local density from proximal to distal dendritic segments. At the proximal dendrite, the nanoscale organization and membrane dynamics of GluN2B-NMDARs were influenced by physical interplay with the protein kinase CaMKII. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 , 24526 (2020).