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Related Concept Videos

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 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.
Neuronal Communication01:28

Neuronal Communication

Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...
Electrical Synapses01:28

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...
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 12, 2026

Homochronic Transplantation of Interneuron Precursors into Early Postnatal Mouse Brains
10:08

Homochronic Transplantation of Interneuron Precursors into Early Postnatal Mouse Brains

Published on: June 8, 2018

Postnatal switch from synaptic to extrasynaptic transmission between interneurons and NG2 cells.

Mateo Vélez-Fort1, Paloma P Maldonado, Arthur M Butt

  • 1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 603, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8154, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|May 21, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (NG2 cells) decrease synaptic inputs during development. In adults, GABA spillover via volume transmission, not synapses, modulates NG2 cell activity.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Oligodendrocyte precursors (NG2 cells) are crucial for myelination and are present in adult brains, potentially receiving neuronal synaptic inputs.
  • Previous assumptions suggested persistent synaptic inputs onto NG2 cells into adulthood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental changes in GABAergic synaptic activity of NG2 cells in the mouse neocortex.
  • To determine the mechanism of GABAergic input to NG2 cells in the adult cortex.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings of NG2 cells in acute brain slices from NG2-DsRed transgenic mice.
  • Analysis of spontaneous and miniature GABAergic synaptic currents.
  • Investigation of GABAergic transmission mechanisms, including synaptic and volume transmission.

Main Results:

  • GABAergic synaptic activity onto cortical NG2 cells significantly decreases after the second postnatal week.
  • Adult NG2 cells receive GABAergic inputs from interneurons, but these inputs rely on GABA spillover (volume transmission), not functional synapses.
  • GABA volume transmission activates extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors on NG2 cells, enabling integration of neuronal activity.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic input to NG2 cells diminishes during cortical development.
  • GABA volume transmission is the primary mechanism for interneuron-mediated modulation of NG2 cells in the adult cortex.
  • This non-synaptic communication allows NG2 cells to respond to network activity relevant to sensory processing.