• Debabrata Panja and Clive R Bramham.
• Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
• Neuropharmacology. 2014 Jan 1; 76 Pt C: 664-76.

AbstractUnraveling the molecular mechanisms governing long-term synaptic plasticity is a key to understanding how the brain stores information in neural circuits and adapts to a changing environment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as a regulator of stable, late phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP) at excitatory glutamatergic synapses in the adult brain. However, the mechanisms by which BDNF triggers L-LTP are controversial. Here, we distill and discuss the latest advances along three main lines: 1) TrkB receptor-coupled translational control underlying dendritic protein synthesis and L-LTP, 2) Mechanisms for BDNF-induced rescue of L-LTP when protein synthesis is blocked, and 3) BDNF-TrkB regulation of actin cytoskeletal dynamics in dendritic spines. Finally, we explore the inter-relationships between BDNF-regulated mechanisms, how these mechanisms contribute to different forms of L-LTP in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus, and outline outstanding issues for future research. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'BDNF Regulation of Synaptic Structure, Function, and Plasticity'.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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