Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Synaptic facilitation in Aplysia explored by random presynaptic stimulation.

The Journal of General Physiology

|June 1, 1979

Summary

Investigating synaptic facilitation in Aplysia, this study models how interneuron L10 stimulation affects follower cell L2. Facilitation alters synaptic potential duration and magnitude, suggesting morphological influences beyond simple transmitter release.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Nonlinear interactions in ganglion cell receptive fields.

Journal of neurophysiology·1981

Same author

Wiener analysis of nonlinear systems using Poisson-Charlier crosscorrelation.

Biological cybernetics·1977

See all related articles

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Marine Biology

Background:

Synaptic plasticity, including facilitation, is crucial for neural computation.
Understanding the mechanisms of synaptic facilitation is key to deciphering neural circuit function.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a predictive model of synaptic facilitation in the Aplysia abdominal ganglion.
To investigate the impact of facilitation on the time-course and magnitude of postsynaptic potentials.

Main Methods:

Stimulation of interneuron L10 in Aplysia to evoke action potentials.
Recording of early inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in follower cell L2.
Application of Wiener nonlinear analysis to model synaptic facilitation.

Main Results:

A predictive model of facilitating postsynaptic potentials was generated.
Facilitation was found to increase the duration of synaptic responses.
Response magnitude decreased exponentially with increasing interstimulus intervals, and facilitation was absent at short intervals.

Conclusions:

The observed facilitation cannot be explained solely by increased transmitter release.
Pre- and postsynaptic morphological characteristics likely play a significant role in synaptic facilitation.
This study provides insights into the complex mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity in Aplysia.

Related Experiment Videos