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

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...

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...

Integration of Synaptic Events

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Living With Loss: The Caregiver Journey and Unmet Needs Across the Cervical Cancer Care Continuum in India.

JCO global oncology·2026

Same author

Parvalbumin expression does not account for discrete electrophysiological profiles of glutamatergic ventral pallidal subpopulations.

Addiction neuroscience·2025

Same author

Reduced SK channel control of mesolimbic dopamine neuron firing drives reward seeking adaptations in chronic pain.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Neuritogenesis and protective effects activated by Angiotensin 1-7 in astrocytes-neuron interaction.

Neuropeptides·2024

Same author

Mechanomyography-Based Metric Scale for Spasticity: A Pilot Descriptive Observational Study.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

Same author

Computational modeling of dorsal root ganglion stimulation using an Injectrode.

Journal of neural engineering·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

Synaptic depression depends on charge delivered to network.

Robert D Graham, Sharon Jose, Alex Kaiser

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference

|March 9, 2017

Summary

Electrical stimulation of neuronal networks shows that increased charge leads to greater synaptic depression. Selective adaptation was not observed in these cortical assemblies, suggesting homogeneous subnetworks.

More Related Videos

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Published on: October 6, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Published on: October 6, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Electrophysiology
Cellular Biology

Background:

In vitro neuronal networks on microelectrode arrays are crucial for studying network electrophysiology.
Electrical stimulation holds therapeutic potential for neurological disorders.
Understanding neuronal response dynamics to stimulation is key.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how cortical network response changes over time with varying electrical stimulation charge.
To explore the phenomenon of selective adaptation in neuronal networks.
To determine the relationship between stimulation parameters and network response.

Main Methods:

Culturing in vitro neuronal networks on microelectrode arrays.
Applying varied amounts of charge via electrical stimulation.
Monitoring network electrophysiological responses over time.
Analyzing synaptic depression and network adaptation.

Main Results:

A charge threshold was identified for eliciting a reverberating network response.
Increased stimulation charge resulted in greater synaptic depression over time.
Stimulation with 5 electrodes decreased network response, while 12 electrodes led to response extinction.
The hypothesized selective adaptation mechanism was not observed.

Conclusions:

Cortical network response is significantly impacted by stimulation charge, leading to synaptic depression.
Homogeneous excitatory and inhibitory subnetworks in random cortical assemblies may explain the absence of selective adaptation.
Findings contribute to understanding neuronal plasticity and the effects of electrical neuromodulation.