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

Related Concept Videos

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...

The Synapse

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.

Synaptic Signaling

Synaptic Signaling

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.

Synaptic Signaling

Synaptic Signaling

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.
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...

Chemical Synapses

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 Synapses

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Actin scaffolds as organizers of presynaptic function, assembly and plasticity across species.

Biological chemistry·2026

Same author

Local autophagy impairment triggers brain-wide presynaptic remodeling and resilience.

The EMBO journal·2026

Same author

Active zone plasticity couples sleep need to presynaptic hypophosphorylation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Semi-automatic 3D-quantification of in-vivo synapse formation.

BMC bioinformatics·2026

Same author

How to control synaptic autophagy from the neuronal soma.

The EMBO journal·2025

Same author

Monoamine-induced diacylglycerol signaling rapidly accumulates Unc13 in nanoclusters for fast presynaptic potentiation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Presynapse Formation Assay Using Presynapse Organizer Beads and “Neuron Ball” Culture

Presynapse Formation Assay Using Presynapse Organizer Beads and “Neuron Ball” Culture

Published on: August 2, 2019

Synaptogenesis.

Astrid G Petzoldt¹, Stephan J Sigrist¹

¹Neurogenetik, Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

Current Biology : CB

|December 3, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Synapse formation, or synaptogenesis, is crucial for neuronal function and cognitive processes like memory. This review outlines current understanding and future research directions for synaptogenesis, focusing on the presynaptic release site.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Synaptoneurosomes from Mouse Cortex using a Discontinuous Percoll-Sucrose Density Gradient

Preparation of Synaptoneurosomes from Mouse Cortex using a Discontinuous Percoll-Sucrose Density Gradient

Published on: September 17, 2011

Visualization of Thalamocortical Axon Branching and Synapse Formation in Organotypic Cocultures

Visualization of Thalamocortical Axon Branching and Synapse Formation in Organotypic Cocultures

Published on: March 28, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Presynapse Formation Assay Using Presynapse Organizer Beads and “Neuron Ball” Culture

Presynapse Formation Assay Using Presynapse Organizer Beads and “Neuron Ball” Culture

Published on: August 2, 2019

Preparation of Synaptoneurosomes from Mouse Cortex using a Discontinuous Percoll-Sucrose Density Gradient

Preparation of Synaptoneurosomes from Mouse Cortex using a Discontinuous Percoll-Sucrose Density Gradient

Published on: September 17, 2011

Visualization of Thalamocortical Axon Branching and Synapse Formation in Organotypic Cocultures

Visualization of Thalamocortical Axon Branching and Synapse Formation in Organotypic Cocultures

Published on: March 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology

Background:

Synapses are essential for neuronal communication, enabling signal transfer between cells for functions including learning and memory.
Neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles is critical, with key machinery identified (Nobel Prize 2013).
Understanding synapse formation (synaptogenesis) and maintenance remains incomplete, particularly the presynaptic aspect.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current state of knowledge in synaptogenesis.
To identify future research directions in synaptogenesis.
To focus on the presynaptic release site perspective.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of existing research on synaptogenesis.
Analysis of the presynaptic release site's role in synapse formation.
Identification of knowledge gaps and future research avenues.

Main Results:

Synaptogenesis processes are not fully understood, despite advances in synaptic vesicle fusion machinery.
The presynaptic release site's role in synapse formation requires further investigation.
Fragmentary understanding necessitates focused research on synaptogenesis mechanisms.

Conclusions:

Further research is needed to elucidate the complex processes of synaptogenesis.
Focusing on the presynaptic release site offers a promising avenue for understanding synapse formation.
A comprehensive understanding of synaptogenesis is vital for advancing neuroscience and treating neurological disorders.