For synapses, it's depression not death
Publication information:
Bateup H, Sabatini B. For synapses, it’s depression not death. Cell. 2010;141(5):750–2. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.013
Abstract
Long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic strength is an activity-dependent process in neurons that may be important for learning and memory. Li et al. (2010) now reveal a new apoptosis-independent role for mitochondrial-activated caspases in LTD suggesting that neurons have co-opted the canonical cell death pathway to perform a specialized function at synapses.