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Related Concept Videos

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.
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The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
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...
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Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis

Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.
Several...
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.
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
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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...

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3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity
07:13

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity

Published on: May 18, 2020

How to scale down postsynaptic strength.

Vedakumar Tatavarty1, Qian Sun, Gina G Turrigiano

  • 1Department of Biology and Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|August 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic scaling adjusts AMPA receptor (AMPAR) abundance to regulate neuronal activity. Scaling down decreases AMPARs by increasing their dissociation rate from synaptic scaffolds, proportionally reducing synaptic strength.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Synaptic scaling is a homeostatic plasticity mechanism regulating neuronal activity.
  • It adjusts postsynaptic AMPA receptor (AMPAR) abundance proportionally to activity.
  • The biophysical mechanisms underlying proportional synaptic scaling remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the biophysical mechanisms of synaptic scaling in cultured rat visual cortical pyramidal neurons.
  • To determine how proportional scaling of synaptic strength is achieved at the molecular level.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized photoactivation and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) of fluorescently tagged AMPARs.
  • Examined the effects of scaffold manipulation and AMPAR endocytosis.
  • Employed computational simulations to model synaptic strength changes.

Main Results:

  • Scaling down, but not scaling up, reduces synaptic AMPAR accumulation by increasing their dissociation rate (Koff) from the postsynaptic density.
  • This increased Koff is independent of AMPAR endocytosis and diffusion.
  • Simulations confirmed that increased Koff multiplicatively reduces synaptic strength by decreasing scaffold occupancy.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic scaling down is achieved through a regulated increase in AMPAR dissociation rate (Koff).
  • This mechanism proportionally reduces synaptic strength by altering AMPAR's interaction with synaptic scaffolds.
  • Findings elucidate the biophysical basis of homeostatic synaptic plasticity.