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Related Concept Videos

Synaptic Signaling01:12

Synaptic Signaling

Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Synaptic Signaling01:09

Synaptic Signaling

Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents
11:29

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents

Published on: September 4, 2015

The synaptic Wnt signaling hypothesis.

Shao-Jun Tang1

  • 1Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-3800, USA. stang@uci.edu

Synapse (New York, N.Y.)
|July 12, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Wnt signaling, crucial for neural circuit development, is proposed to function at mature central synapses. This synaptic Wnt signaling pathway may significantly regulate brain functions.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents
11:29

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents

Published on: September 4, 2015

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices
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Published on: October 6, 2017

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An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Wnt signaling pathways are extensively studied for their established roles in embryonic development and neural circuit formation.
  • The precise functions and mechanisms of Wnt signaling within the mature central nervous system, particularly at the synapse, remain less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel Wnt signaling cascade operating at the mature central synapse.
  • To explore the potential regulatory roles of synaptic Wnt signaling in brain functions.

Main Methods:

  • This study is primarily theoretical, proposing a signaling cascade based on existing literature.
  • Further experimental validation will be required to confirm the proposed mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • A hypothetical Wnt signaling cascade at the mature central synapse is detailed.
  • The proposed cascade involves key Wnt pathway components interacting within the synaptic environment.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic Wnt signaling represents a newly proposed mechanism with potential implications for regulating complex brain functions.
  • Understanding this pathway could offer new insights into synaptic plasticity and neurological disorders.