Organelles at the Crossroads of Synaptic Plasticity Across the Lifespan

Synaptic plasticity underlies how the brain builds, refines, and maintains neural circuits across the lifespan, from early development to healthy aging. Neuronal activity and sensory experience drive subcellular remodeling that extends beyond synaptic membranes, involving coordinated responses from diverse organelles such as mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, and endosomes. These organelles fine-tune energy supply, calcium dynamics, membrane turnover, and protein homeostasis, providing the local versatility required for adaptive synaptic change during different stages of life. Understanding how these intracellular systems and their molecular effectors integrate with experience-dependent signaling and plasticity regimes is essential to comprehend how neurons preserve adaptability and cognitive resilience throughout the aging process, before overt neurodegeneration emerges.How these dynamics evolve across the healthy lifespan, however, remains comparatively less understood. This Research Topic aims to consolidate emerging knowledge on the subcellular and molecular basis of synaptic plasticity in the healthy brain at each of these life stages. It emphasizes how developmental stage, neuronal activity patterns, and behavioral experience instruct organelle function and positioning, and how these adaptive processes shape circuit assembly, refinement, learning, and cognitive resilience in aging. Contributors are encouraged to explore cross-level mechanisms that link physiological stimuli to subcellular remodeling, bridging molecular and systems-level perspectives on neuronal adaptability.To gather further insights into activity-dependent plasticity across life, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Organelle-driven metabolic and calcium signaling dynamics during synaptic remodelingo Mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum adaptations enabling long-term potentiation and structural plasticity o Lysosomal and endosomal participation in turnover and reshaping of synaptic componentso Activity-dependent modulation of organelle trafficking and biogenesis in developing and aging neuronso Subcellular programs coordinating local translation, energy distribution, and membrane renewal in dendrites and axonso Imaging, biosensors, and quantitative tools for tracking organelle behavior during experience-dependent plasticityo Molecular signaling pathways that link synaptic activity to organelle remodelingo Comparative insights into developmental, adult, and aging phases of organelle-supported synaptic functionArticle types welcomed: Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, Brief Research Report, Perspective, Hypothesis and Theory. Topic editors: Matias Lira, Qing Tang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81319/organelles-at-the-crossroads-of-synaptic-plasticity-across-the-lifespan