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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Measuring Near Plasma Membrane and Global Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Astrocytes
Published on: April 26, 2009
Activity-dependent decrease in contact areas between subsurface cisterns and plasma membrane of hippocampal neurons
1NINDS Electron Microscopy Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. chengs@ninds.nih.gov.
Abstract:
Subsurface cistern (SSC) in neuronal soma and primary dendrites is a specialized compartment of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that is in close apposition (10 nm) with the plasma membrane (PM). ER-PM contact areas are thought to be involved in intracellular calcium regulation. Here, structural changes of SSC in hippocampal neurons were examined by electron microscopy upon depolarization with high K+ (90 mM) or application of NMDA (50 μM) in rat dissociated cultures as well as organotypic slice cultures. The number and average length of SSC-PM contact areas in neuronal somas significantly decreased within 30 s under excitatory condition. This decrease in SSC-PM contact area progressed with time and was reversible. These results demonstrate a structural decoupling between the SSC and the PM upon stimulation, suggesting that there may be a functional decoupling of the calcium regulation. Because SSC-PM contact areas may mediate calcium influx, the decrease in contact area may protect neurons from calcium overload upon heightened stimulation.
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