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Gap Junctions

Gap Junctions

The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...

Gap Junctions

Gap Junctions

Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

The complex three-dimensional arrangement of cells in any multicellular organism is defined and maintained by interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. Cell-cell junctions are specialized structures where the multi-protein complexes on one cell interact with the multi-protein complexes on another cell. These cell junctions are classified into three main types based on their function — occluding, anchoring, and gap junctions.
Occluding or Tight Junctions
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Electrical Synapses

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...

Overview of Synapses

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A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...

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Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes

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Local dynamics of gap-junction-coupled interneuron networks.

Troy Lau¹, Gregory J Gage, Joshua D Berke

¹Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. troylau@umich.edu

Physical Biology

|March 16, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Network topology shapes brain activity. Local electrical gap-junctions (GJs) enable heterogeneous states, crucial for decision-making by striatal fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs).

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

Interneurons, connected via electrical gap-junctions (GJs) and chemical synapses, are key in forebrain networks.
Their precise roles in generating activity patterns and network function are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how interneuron network topology influences activity dynamics and pattern formation using computational models.
To explore the functional implications of local GJ coupling in neural circuits.

Main Methods:

Systematic computational modeling of interneuron networks.
Varying GJ and chemical synapse topology (local vs. random connections, connection number).
Analyzing network activity dynamics and stability under different input conditions.

Main Results:

Random GJ coupling leads to globally synchronous activity.
Local GJ connectivity promotes spatially heterogeneous activity states.
These local states stabilize with correlated or asymmetric inputs, mirroring experimental findings in rat striatal FSIs during decision-making.

Conclusions:

Network topology, specifically local GJ coupling, is critical for generating diverse neural activity.
Local GJ coupling in striatal FSIs may support an active search-and-select mechanism in decision-making.
This highlights the role of interneuron connectivity in basal ganglia function.