Overview

We want to contribute to a better mechanistic understanding of the cellular processes that cause or mediate the "pathological" elimination of synapse.

Our understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms that are fundamental to learning and memory has expanded remarkably in the past years. Now, we want to contribute to a similar expansion of knowledge concerning (1) the fundamental processes contributing to the "pathological" elimination of synapses. Secondly, we want to face the daunting task of bridging the already known mechanisms of synapse formation, stabilization, and elimination, by addressing the important question of (2) the time course and mechanisms of action of synaptic molecules. Thirdly, we will investigate (3) what (e.g. the lack of a specific protein) makes synapses prone to elimination. Fourthly, we will study whether (4) activity accelerates or protects against synapse elimination. Fifthly, we will address whether already the initiation of massive synapse loss is executed by strictly pathological pathways, or whether a (5) misregulation of pathways, normally involved in refining synaptic circuits during learning and memory, sets the trigger for massive loss of synapses.