Do microtubules take part in reshaping a synapse? · Grey Matter

They do, briefly and from the outside.

Do microtubules take part in reshaping a synapse?

They do, briefly and from the outside. Spines are built of actin, but in cultured hippocampal neurons the growing tips of microtubules, marked by the protein EB3, make short visits into spines and deliver partners that tune the actin inside; blocking microtubule growth or removing EB3 changed spine shape. Activity steers the visits: activating NMDA receptors with a protocol that weakens synapses suppressed microtubule entry into spines, and keeping EB3 high prevented the spines from shrinking.