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Related Concept Videos

Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
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...
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Real-time Electrophysiology: Using Closed-loop Protocols to Probe Neuronal Dynamics and Beyond
08:08

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Published on: June 24, 2015

Presynaptic action potential waveform determines cortical synaptic latency.

Sami Boudkkazi1, Laure Fronzaroli-Molinieres, Dominique Debanne

  • 1INSERM U641, Marseille, F-13916, France.

The Journal of Physiology
|January 13, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic latency in the brain is dynamically regulated by the shape of the presynaptic action potential, not just release probability. Changes in action potential duration and amplitude significantly alter synaptic delay.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Transmission
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Synaptic latency, the delay between presynaptic action potential arrival and postsynaptic response, is crucial for neural circuit function.
  • Presynaptic release probability (Pr) and plasticity are known modulators of synaptic delay.
  • The role of presynaptic action potential waveform in regulating synaptic latency remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of presynaptic action potential duration and amplitude on synaptic latency at cortical excitatory synapses.
  • To determine the specific ion channels involved in modulating action potential waveform and their impact on synaptic timing.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings in pairs of neocortical pyramidal neurons and mossy fiber–CA3 cell synapses.
  • Pharmacological manipulation using potassium (Kv) channel blockers (4-aminopyridine, dendrotoxin-I, tetraethylammonium) and sodium channel blocker (TTX).
  • Analysis of action potential duration, amplitude, and synaptic latency changes.

Main Results:

  • Blockade of specific Kv1 potassium channels with 4-aminopyridine or dendrotoxin-I increased action potential duration and synaptic latency by 1–2 ms.
  • Reducing action potential amplitude with TTX decreased synaptic latency by approximately 0.5 ms.
  • These effects were independent of axonal conduction velocity changes and suggested modulation of presynaptic calcium currents.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic latency at cortical excitatory synapses is not fixed but dynamically regulated by the presynaptic action potential waveform.
  • Axonal Kv1 potassium channels and sodium channels play a significant role in shaping action potentials and thereby controlling synaptic timing.
  • Modifications in action potential waveform offer a novel mechanism for regulating synaptic transmission and neural information processing.