Excitatory postsynaptic calcium transients at Aplysia sensory-motor neuron synapses allow for quantal examination of synaptic strength over multiple days in culture
Autor: | Tyler W. Dunn, Wayne S. Sossin |
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Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
Multiple days
Cognitive Neuroscience chemistry.chemical_element AMPA receptor Calcium Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Postsynaptic potential medicine 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences Sensory motor biology Motor neuron biology.organism_classification Sensory neuron Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology medicine.anatomical_structure chemistry Aplysia Synaptic plasticity Excitatory postsynaptic potential Neuron Neuroscience 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
Popis: | A more thorough description of the changes in synaptic strength underlying synaptic plasticity may be achieved with quantal resolution measurements at individual synaptic sites. Here, we demonstrate that by using a membrane targeted genetic calcium sensor, we can measure quantal synaptic events at the individual synaptic sites of Aplysia sensory neuron to motor neuron synaptic connections. These results show that synaptic strength is not evenly distributed between all contacts in these cultures, but dominated by multiquantal sites of synaptic contact, likely clusters of individual synaptic sites. Surprisingly, most synaptic contacts were not found opposite presynaptic varicosities, but instead at areas of pre- and postsynaptic contact with no visible thickening of membranes. The release probability, quantal size, and quantal content can be measured over days at individual synaptic contacts using this technique. Homosynaptic depression was accompanied by a reduction in release site probability, with no evidence of individual synaptic site silencing over the course of depression. This technique shows promise in being able to address outstanding questions in this system, including determining the synaptic changes that maintain long-term alterations in synaptic strength that underlie memory. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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