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Synaptic Signaling

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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.

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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents

Published on: September 4, 2015

Support for a synaptic chain model of neuronal sequence generation.

Michael A Long¹, Dezhe Z Jin, Michale S Fee

¹McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

|October 26, 2010

Summary

Neural circuits in songbirds generate precise song timing through neuron bursts. This study reveals a rapid depolarization mechanism, not slow dynamics, underlying this precise sequence generation in the HVC nucleus.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Animal Behavior
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

The premotor nucleus HVC in songbirds is crucial for generating the precise temporal sequences required for song production.
Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying sequence generation is key to deciphering complex motor behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural dynamics underlying precise sequence generation in the HVC nucleus of songbirds.
To differentiate between models of neural sequence generation based on intracellular recordings.

Main Methods:

Intracellular recordings were performed on HVC neurons in singing zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).
Subthreshold membrane potential changes preceding neural bursts were analyzed.

Main Results:

A rapid depolarization (5-10 ms before burst onset) was observed, supporting a synaptically connected chain model.
No evidence for slow subthreshold modulation, as predicted by alternative models, was found.
Neural bursts were associated with a brief underlying depolarization (∼10 ms), potentially a calcium spike facilitating network propagation.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that precise temporal sequencing in HVC relies on rapid synaptic interactions and intrinsic neuronal properties, like calcium spikes.
This mechanism facilitates high temporal precision in activity propagation through a neuronal chain.
The study offers insights into fundamental neural circuit mechanisms for generating sequential behaviors.