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

Electrical Synapses

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...

Neuronal Communication

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...

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...

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.

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.

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Deficient Memory, Long-Term Potentiation, and Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in Galectin-4-Deficient Mice.

Biological psychiatry·2025

Same author

Normal Cortical Myelination in Galectin-4-Deficient Mice.

Cells·2022

Same author

What Happens If a Human Galectin Enters the Endoplasmic Reticulum?

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2022

Same author

What Cyto- and Histochemistry Can Do to Crack the Sugar Code.

Acta histochemica et cytochemica·2021

Same author

How presence of a signal peptide affects human galectins-1 and -4: Clues to explain common absence of a leader sequence among adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects·2019

Same author

Neurons define non-myelinated axon segments by the regulation of galectin-4-containing axon membrane domains.

Scientific reports·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advances in Brain Energy Metabolism Research Using the Drosophila Model

Author Spotlight: Advances in Brain Energy Metabolism Research Using the Drosophila Model

Published on: October 27, 2023

The sugar code in neuronal physiology.

Alonso M Higuero¹, Natalia Díez-Revuelta¹, José Abad-Rodríguez²

¹Membrane Biology and Axonal Repair Laboratory, National Hospital for Paraplegics (SESCAM), Finca La Peraleda s/n, 45071, Toledo, Spain.

Histochemistry and Cell Biology

|December 22, 2016

Summary

Carbohydrate-binding proteins and enzymes are crucial for nervous system development and function. Understanding these glycan interactions offers potential for diagnosing and treating neurological diseases.

Keywords:

Axon Galectin Glycosylation Myelin Nervous system Neuron

More Related Videos

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Published on: December 29, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advances in Brain Energy Metabolism Research Using the Drosophila Model

Author Spotlight: Advances in Brain Energy Metabolism Research Using the Drosophila Model

Published on: October 27, 2023

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

Published on: June 29, 2017

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Published on: December 29, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Glycobiology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Carbohydrate-related interactions are essential for nervous system development and function.
These interactions are regulated by carbohydrate-modifying enzymes and carbohydrate-binding proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the critical roles of specific glycan-binding proteins and enzymes in axonal processes.
To underscore the importance of glycans in nervous system physiology and disease.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature and examples illustrating the function of glycan-related proteins.
Focus on proteins like sialidase Neu3 and galectins in axonal development and myelination.

Main Results:

Glycan-binding proteins (e.g., sialidase Neu3, galectins) regulate axonal fate, growth, guidance, regeneration, and transport.
Myelination and myelin architecture stabilization involve interactions between myelin-associated glycoprotein (siglec-4) and axonal gangliosides.

Conclusions:

Carbohydrates play precise, fundamental roles in nervous system physiology.
Further research into lectins and glycans may lead to new diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets for neurological disorders.