Social isolation
Social isolation contributes to abnormal hippocampal development via specific alterations to microtubule stability and decreased MAP-2 expression (Bianchi et al., 2006). Social isolation contributes to decreased expression of the synaptic protein synaptophysin (Varty et al., 1999) and decreased dendritic length and dendritic spine density of pyramidal cells (Silva-Gomez et al., 2003). The underlying molecular mechanism of these structural neuronal alterations are microtubule stabilizations, which impair the remodeling and extension of axons (Mitchison &amp; Kirschner, 1984) and dendrites (Vaillant et al., 2002).