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Related Concept Videos

The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
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...
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...
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.
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs
09:37

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs

Published on: August 31, 2009

Neurotransmitters drive combinatorial multistate postsynaptic density networks.

Marcelo P Coba1, Andrew J Pocklington, Mark O Collins

  • 1Genes to Cognition, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire, UK.

Science Signaling
|April 30, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study maps molecular circuits in the postsynaptic density (PSD) using protein phosphorylation. Discovering how neurotransmitter receptor activation shapes these networks offers insights into synaptic function and disease.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The postsynaptic density (PSD) is crucial for synaptic function, containing ~1100 proteins.
  • The precise molecular organization and signaling networks within the PSD remain largely undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To map molecular circuitry within the PSD by analyzing protein phosphorylation patterns.
  • To understand how neurotransmitter receptor activation shapes these networks and their information processing capabilities.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized peptide array technology to identify phosphorylation motifs and switching mechanisms.
  • Analyzed changes in protein phosphorylation status upon activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and other glutamate and dopamine receptors.

Main Results:

  • Activation of a single NMDAR altered the phosphorylation of 127 postsynaptic proteins.
  • Stimulation of various glutamate and dopamine receptors revealed overlapping yet distinct phosphorylation network signatures.
  • Identified specific phosphorylation motifs and switching mechanisms driving network integration and substrate coordination.

Conclusions:

  • Combinatorial phosphorylation networks within the PSD enable high information-processing capacity and functional diversity at synapses.
  • Elucidating these networks provides potential avenues for understanding neurological diseases and developing novel drug targets.