Dendritic spines are the postsynaptic receptive regions of most excitatory synapses in the central nervous system. Thus, spines are supposed to act as a fundamental unit for information processing of the brains. Previous studies have demonstrated the roles of drebrin in the formation of dendritic spines and in the recruitment of synaptic proteins to postsynaptic sites. Further, a live imaging study has revealed the unique dynamics of drebrin in dendritic spines, which help to understand how drebrin is involved in dendritic spine formation. This review will provide a basic knowledge about dendritic spine and overview recent progresses in understanding of the roles of drebrin in dendritic spine morphogenesis and synaptogenesis.
Keywords: Actin cytoskeleton; Activity dependent; Dendritic filopodia; Dendritic spine; FRAP; Postsynaptic density (PSD); Protein trafficking.