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Related Concept Videos

Neural Regulation01:37

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology01:24

Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting movement, with additional non-motor features. Its pathophysiology involves complex interactions among genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and cellular dysfunction, including dopaminergic neuron loss, protein aggregation, and mitochondrial impairment.Selective NeurodegenerationA key feature is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to reduced...
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology01:23

Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...
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...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein01:20

Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein

Antiepileptic drugs, such as levetiracetam (Keppra) and brivaracetam (Briviact), have emerged as crucial tools in managing epilepsy. These medications exert their therapeutic effects by targeting the synaptic vesicle protein SV2A, a transmembrane glycoprotein primarily found in the brain.
SV2A is a transmembrane glycoprotein located predominantly in the brain, modulating the release of neurotransmitters for neuronal communication. Both levetiracetam and brivaracetam exhibit a high affinity for...
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 11, 2026

Recombinant &#945;- &#946;- and &#947;-Synucleins Stimulate Protein Phosphatase 2A Catalytic Subunit Activity in Cell Free Assays
09:36

Recombinant α- β- and γ-Synucleins Stimulate Protein Phosphatase 2A Catalytic Subunit Activity in Cell Free Assays

Published on: August 13, 2017

The regulation of synaptic function by alpha-synuclein.

Serena Bellani, Vitor L Sousa, Giuseppe Ronzitti

    Communicative & Integrative Biology
    |June 30, 2010
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Alpha-synuclein, a protein found at neuronal terminals, may regulate synaptic efficiency by interacting with actin. This interaction could influence synaptic vesicle release and neuronal plasticity, offering insights into Parkinson's disease.

    Keywords:
    actin cytoskeletonexocytosissynaptic plasticitysynaptic vesiclesα-synuclein

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    Sequential Extraction of Soluble and Insoluble Alpha-Synuclein from Parkinsonian Brains
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    Sequential Extraction of Soluble and Insoluble Alpha-Synuclein from Parkinsonian Brains
    09:27

    Sequential Extraction of Soluble and Insoluble Alpha-Synuclein from Parkinsonian Brains

    Published on: January 5, 2016

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Cell Biology
    • Biochemistry

    Background:

    • Alpha-synuclein is a cytosolic protein concentrated at presynaptic terminals in the central nervous system.
    • Overexpression and mutations in alpha-synuclein are implicated in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.
    • While its localization suggests a role in synaptic efficiency, its precise function and molecular mechanisms remain elusive.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the role of alpha-synuclein in regulating synaptic function.
    • To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying alpha-synuclein's action at the synapse.
    • To determine if alpha-synuclein interacts with and modulates actin dynamics.

    Main Methods:

    • The study focused on the interaction between alpha-synuclein and actin microfilaments.
    • Investigated the influence of alpha-synuclein on actin dynamics.
    • Examined the effects of this interaction on synaptic vesicle release.

    Main Results:

    • Actin microfilaments are crucial for synaptic vesicle mobilization, organization, and exocytosis.
    • Alpha-synuclein was identified as a potential binding partner for actin.
    • Alpha-synuclein's regulation of actin dynamics may tune the synaptic vesicle release process.

    Conclusions:

    • Alpha-synuclein potentially modulates synaptic function and plasticity through its interaction with actin.
    • This interaction could be a key molecular mechanism linking alpha-synuclein to synaptic efficiency.
    • Further research into this pathway may provide new therapeutic targets for Parkinson's disease.