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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Nov 22.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Bull. 2012 Feb;28(1):10.1007/s12264-012-1057-5. doi: 10.1007/s12264-012-1057-5

Figure 2. Caspase-3 activation is a bifurcation point in the cellular response to stimuli.

Figure 2

Caspase-3 activation may have different effects in a young healthy brain compared to an aged or diseased brain. Diagram shows how on a background of low cell stress, caspase activation (young) due to a specific pattern of neuronal activity could primarily modulate plasticity. On the other hand, under conditions of high stress such as due to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ) due to age, the role of caspase-3 activation would primarily be in cell death pathways, overwhelming normal regulation of plasticity.