Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Trigeminal Ganglia
Published on: August 1, 2025
Physiological and pathological actions of calpains in glutamatergic neurons
Jing Liu1, Ming Cheng Liu, Kevin K W Wang
1Center for Neuroproteomics and Biomarkers Research, Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, Post Office Box 100256, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. jingl@ufl.edu
Abstract:
These animations show the activation and actions of neuronal calpains under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. They emphasize how physiological events involved in excitatory neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity-such as glutamate release, calcium influx, and activation of postsynaptic calpains-can become destructive under pathological conditions. These animations would be useful in a neurobiology or neuroscience course, where they could be used to illustrate proteolytic mechanisms underling activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, and how excessive activation of these signaling mechanisms can lead to excitotoxic neuronal death.
Related Concept Videos
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
Chemical Synapses
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 Synapses
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...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...

