Dendritic spine

Dendritic spine
Dendritic spine
	Spiny dendrite of a striatal medium spiny neuron.
	Common types of dendritic spines.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	gemmula dendritica
MeSH	D049229
TH	H2.00.06.1.00036
	Anatomical terms of microanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

A dendritic spine (or spine) is a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite that typically receives input from a single axon at the synapse. Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical signals to the neuron's cell body. Most spines have a bulbous head (the spine head), and a thin neck that connects the head of the spine to the shaft of the dendrite. The dendrites of a single neuron can contain hundreds to thousands of spines. In addition to spines providing an anatomical substrate for memory storage and synaptic transmission, they may also serve to increase the number of possible contacts between neurons.^[1] It has also been suggested that changes in the activity of neurons have a positive effect on spine morphology.^[2]

^ Cite error: The named reference Alvarez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Tackenberg C, Ghori A, Brandt R (June 2009). "Thin, stubby or mushroom: spine pathology in Alzheimer's disease". Current Alzheimer Research. 6 (3): 261–8. doi:10.2174/156720509788486554. PMID 19519307.

[Alvarez-1] Cite error: The named reference Alvarez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[pmid19519307-2] Tackenberg C, Ghori A, Brandt R (June 2009). "Thin, stubby or mushroom: spine pathology in Alzheimer's disease". Current Alzheimer Research. 6 (3): 261–8. doi:10.2174/156720509788486554. PMID 19519307.

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