Alla Salmina

Professor Alla B. Salmina, MD, PhD, Dr.Med.Sci.

Brain Science Institute, Research Center of Neurology (Moscow, Russia); N.E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Moscow, Russia); Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (Krasnoyarsk, Russia)

Brain plasticity is a phenomenon underlying key mechanisms of brain activity. Synaptic transmission, synapse turnover, neurite outgrowth, changes in gene expression, induction of angiogenesis and neurogenesis contribute to short-term and long-term events induced by external stimuli, incl. learning and memory. Metabolic activity of cells within the neurovascular unit supports brain plasticity and provides effective functional coupling of cells within multicellular ensembles. Sleep affects brain plasticity in various ways: repair of DNA double-strand breaks caused by the expression of immediate early genes in pre-activated neurons, adjusting the synaptic strength to the needs of the next day, synchronization of neuronal activity, changes in mitochondrial dynamics and energy production in brain cells, promotion of neurogenesis for efficient memory consolidation, reversible changes in the permeability of brain barriers leading to optimization of brain fluids dynamics.