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Related Concept Videos

Integration of Synaptic Events01:28

Integration of Synaptic Events

Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
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...
Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Long-term Potentiation01:35

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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...
Propagation of Action Potentials01:23

Propagation of Action Potentials

The propagation of an action potential refers to the process by which a nerve impulse, or "action potential," travels along a neuron.
Neurons (nerve cells) have a resting membrane potential, with a slightly negative charge inside compared to outside. This is maintained by ion channels, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels, which control the flow of ions. When a stimulus, like a touch or a signal from another neuron, triggers the neuron, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to...

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

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Synaptic cooperativity regulates persistent network activity in neocortex.

Morgana Favero1, Manuel A Castro-Alamancos

  • 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|February 15, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic cooperativity in the neocortex influences spontaneous up-state activity. Increased fast excitation strengthens inhibition, suppressing up-states, while blocking it reveals NMDA-receptor-mediated up-states.

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Published on: March 31, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • The neocortex exhibits spontaneous slow oscillations during quiescence, characterized by up-states and down-states.
  • Up-states are brief periods of heightened neural activity mirroring cognitive states, but their triggers remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the role of synaptic cooperativity in driving neocortical up-states.
  • Explore how thalamocortical and intracortical pathways contribute to up-state generation and regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized thalamocortical slices from adult mice.
  • Employed optogenetics (channelrhodopsin-2) with electrical or blue-light stimuli to control synaptic cooperativity.
  • Manipulated fast AMPA-receptor and slow NMDA-receptor mediated excitation.

Main Results:

  • Optogenetics facilitated in vivo-like thalamocortical responses in slices.
  • Higher synaptic cooperativity via fast excitation enhanced feedforward inhibition, suppressing up-states.
  • Blocking fast excitation unmasked NMDA-receptor-dependent up-states, revealing their role when fast pathways are inhibited.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic cooperativity, particularly via fast excitation, inversely correlates with the capacity of excitatory pathways to trigger neocortical up-states.
  • Feedforward inhibition, driven by synaptic cooperativity, plays a critical role in regulating up-state occurrence.
  • NMDA-receptor-mediated excitation can drive up-states when fast excitatory pathways are suppressed.