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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Fast Micro-iontophoresis of Glutamate and GABA: A Useful Tool to Investigate Synaptic Integration
Published on: July 31, 2013
Synergistic release of Ca2+ from IP3-sensitive stores evoked by synaptic activation of mGluRs paired with
T Nakamura1, J G Barbara, K Nakamura
1Department of Physiology, New York Medical College, Valhalla 10595, USA.
Abstract:
Increases in postsynaptic [Ca2+]i can result from Ca2+ entry through ligand-gated channels or voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, or through release from intracellular stores. Most attention has focused on entry through the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in causing [Ca2+]i increases since this pathway requires both presynaptic stimulation and postsynaptic depolarization, making it a central component in models of synaptic plasticity. Here, we report that repetitive synaptic activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), paired with backpropagating action potentials, causes large, wave-like increases in [Ca2+]i predominantly in restricted regions of the proximal apical dendrites and soma of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. [Ca2+]i changes of several micromolars can be reached by regenerative release caused by the synergistic effect of mGluR-generated inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and spike-evoked Ca2+ entry acting on the IP3 receptor.
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