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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Subcellular Fractionation for the Isolation of Synaptic Components from the Murine Brain
Published on: September 14, 2022
Preparation of Synaptosomes from Mammalian Brain by Subcellular Fractionation and Gradient Centrifugation
1Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, HHMI, Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. mirko.messa@yale.edu.
Abstract:
More than a trillion nerve terminals interconnect neurons in the human brain. These terminals are fundamental for signal transmission and nerve cell communication. Among other techniques, the isolation of nerve terminals [or synaptosomes (Whittaker et al. Biochem J, 90(2):293-303, 1964)] has been fundamental to study the biochemistry and the physiology of the nervous system. This chapter describes the isolation and purification of intact synaptosomes from rodent brain tissue that can be used to further characterize synaptic structure and function and to examine the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmission.
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