Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2013 Oct 22;23(6):1034–1040. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2013.09.012

Figure 2. Pruning of local synaptic circuits in the CNS.

Figure 2

(a) Small scale pruning (e.g., visual cortex) can involve the local elimination of dendritic spines (light purple) and axon terminals (gray). Those presynaptic inputs (black) that are more active (lightning bolts) will be maintained and strengthened. (b) In the case of the retinogeniculate system, RGCs form transient, weak presynaptic inputs that innervate primarily the soma of postsynaptic dLGN relay neurons. Inputs from both eyes (red and green) are intermingled. During developmental pruning, smaller branches from both eyes that are less active (dotted lines) are removed. The remaining inputs that are more active (lightning bolts) are maintained, elaborated, and strengthened to form eye-specific territories within the dLGN.