Synaptogenesis

The synaptogenesis ( Synapse Greek σύν syn 'together'; ἅπτειν haptein 'grab, hold, touch'; genesis Greek γένεσις genesis, birth ',' origin ',' Origin ') refers to the creation or formation of new synapses on a neuron . Synaptogenesis, together with synapse elimination, is the basis for the lifelong plasticity of the brain.

General

The majority of nerve cells or neurons develop prenatally through cell division and subsequent migration . Synaptogenesis dominates particularly in the last trimester of pregnancy and in the postnatal phase. At birth, a person already has 100 billion neurons. With the help of synapses, these establish connections to one another, whereby initially many more synapses are created than are actually necessary. This leads to an experience-dependent elimination of synapses. The synapse formation and elimination reaches its peak at different times, depending on the brain region. In the visual cortex, the peak of synapse formation can be found, for example, in the first year of life. The frontal cortex, which is responsible, among other things, for action planning, only forms adequate synapses in the course of preschool age.

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