Intracellular magnesium optimizes transmission efficiency and plasticity of hippocampal synapses by reconfiguring their connectivity

Abstract

Synapses at dendritic branches exhibit specific properties for information processing. However, how the synapses are orchestrated to dynamically modify their properties, thus optimizing information processing, remains elusive. Here, we observed at hippocampal dendritic branches diverse configurations of synaptic connectivity, two extremes of which are characterized by low transmission efficiency, high plasticity and coding capacity, or inversely. The former favors information encoding, pertinent to learning, while the latter prefers information storage, relevant to memory. Presynaptic intracellular Mg²⁺ crucially mediates the dynamic transition continuously between the two extreme configurations. Consequently, varying intracellular Mg²⁺ levels endow individual branches with diverse synaptic computations, thus modulating their ability to process information. Notably, elevating brain Mg²⁺ levels in aging animals restores synaptic configuration resembling that of young animals, coincident with improved learning and memory. These findings establish intracellular Mg²⁺ as a crucial factor reconfiguring synaptic connectivity at dendrites, thus optimizing their branch-specific properties in information processing.