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January 25, 2011; 76 (4) Views and Reviews

White matter synapses

Form, function, and dysfunction

James J.P. Alix, António Miguel de Jesus Domingues
First published January 24, 2011, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182088273
James J.P. Alix
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António Miguel de Jesus Domingues
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Citation
White matter synapses
Form, function, and dysfunction
James J.P. Alix, António Miguel de Jesus Domingues
Neurology Jan 2011, 76 (4) 397-404; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182088273

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Abstract

Synaptic transmission in the CNS represents the classic mechanism through which neural cells communicate. While vesicular neurotransmitter release has been known to be the preserve of gray matter, it is now known that synaptic-style release of glutamate, the brain's major excitatory neurotransmitter, occurs deep in white matter. Here it permits communication between axons and glial cells, enabling axon activity to couple with high fidelity to glial physiology. As white matter is increasingly well-recognized as a substrate for disease, dysregulation of white matter synaptic transmission will play an important role in the development of pathologies as diverse as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, and schizophrenia. This review highlights progress in this new and important field.

Footnotes

  • References e1–e25 are available on the Neurology® Web site at www.neurology.org.

  • Supplemental data at www.neurology.org

  • AD
    Alzheimer disease
    AMPAR
    α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor
    EAE
    experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
    GM
    gray matter
    H/I
    hypoxic-ischemic
    HD
    Huntington disease
    iGluR
    ionotropic glutamate receptor
    MR-DTI
    magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging
    MS
    multiple sclerosis
    NMDAR
    NMDA receptor
    OPC
    oligodendrocyte precursor cell
    PVL
    periventricular leukomalacia
    RON
    rat optic nerve
    VGCC
    voltage-gated Ca2+ channel
    WM
    white matter

  • Received May 21, 2010.
  • Accepted September 20, 2010.
  • Copyright © 2011 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.
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  • Article
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