Connecting Form and Function: Recent Advances in Understanding Dendrite Morphogenesis and Plasticity

Dendrites receive, integrate, and process sensory signals and synaptic inputs. The diverse yet stereotypical nature of their morphology indicates a strong genetic contribution in determining the size and shape of dendritic arbors, while the growth, patterning, and remodeling of the dendrites are among the cellular events most prone to the influences of synaptic activity and experience. Structural and functional modifications of dendrites have a profound impact on circuit connectivity and function and are thus tightly regulated.

This Research Topic aims to answer the following questions:
• How do genetic programs and activity-dependent mechanisms coordinate dendrite morphogenesis and plasticity during development, injury, and repair?
• What are the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions by the network, tissue interaction and sensory input?
• How do changes in dendrite morphology translate into changes in synaptic drive and physiological function?

Answers to these questions are of central interest to basic cellular and developmental neuroscience as well as human neurological diseases such as autism spectrum disorders and neurodegeneration. We welcome original research and reviews that address these questions.