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Related Concept Videos

Integration of Synaptic Events01:28

Integration of Synaptic Events

Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
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...
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...
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of specific...
Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...

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Related Experiment Video

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Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
10:52

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

Rapid synaptic scaling induced by changes in postsynaptic firing.

Keiji Ibata1, Qian Sun, Gina G Turrigiano

  • 1Department of Biology and Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.

Neuron
|March 28, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Homeostatic synaptic scaling rapidly adjusts neuron strength by blocking postsynaptic firing, not local signals. This process involves calcium influx and transcription, normalizing synaptic function.

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Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Homeostatic synaptic scaling is a crucial mechanism for stabilizing neural network activity.
  • The precise triggers and molecular pathways underlying synaptic scaling remain largely unknown.
  • It is unclear whether local synaptic activity or neuronal firing rate dictates scaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific activity patterns that induce homeostatic synaptic scaling.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms mediating synaptic scaling in cortical neurons.
  • To differentiate the roles of postsynaptic firing versus local synaptic input in initiating scaling.

Main Methods:

  • Selective blockade of postsynaptic firing in individual neurons.
  • Selective blockade of a fraction of presynaptic inputs.
  • Optical monitoring of changes in synaptic strength.
  • Analysis of somatic calcium influx, CaMKIV activation, and transcriptional changes.

Main Results:

  • Synaptic scaling was rapidly induced by blocking postsynaptic firing.
  • Blocking local synaptic inputs did not induce synaptic scaling.
  • The process was mediated by a decrease in somatic calcium influx, reduced CaMKIV activation, and subsequent transcriptional changes.
  • This mechanism allows for normalization of synaptic strengths without disrupting synapse-specific information storage.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical neurons initiate homeostatic synaptic scaling primarily in response to their own firing rate.
  • The molecular pathway involves a reduction in calcium signaling and downstream transcriptional regulation.
  • This firing-rate-dependent scaling offers computational advantages for neural networks.