Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Immunolabeling and Counting Ribbon Synapses in Young Adult and Aged Gerbil Cochleae
Published on: April 21, 2022
Sensory Processing at Ribbon Synapses in the Retina and the Cochlea
Tobias Moser1, Chad P Grabner1, Frank Schmitz1
1Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Auditory Neuroscience Group, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany; Synaptic Nanophysiology Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany; and Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Neuroanatomy, Medical School, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
Abstract:
In recent years, sensory neuroscientists have made major efforts to dissect the structure and function of ribbon synapses which process sensory information in the eye and ear. This review aims to summarize our current understanding of two key aspects of ribbon synapses: 1) their mechanisms of exocytosis and endocytosis and 2) their molecular anatomy and physiology. Our comparison of ribbon synapses in the cochlea and the retina reveals convergent signaling mechanisms, as well as divergent strategies in different sensory systems.
More Related Videos
09:54Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea
Published on: May 10, 2019
11:45Postsynaptic Recordings at Afferent Dendrites Contacting Cochlear Inner Hair Cells: Monitoring Multivesicular Release at a Ribbon Synapse
Published on: February 10, 2011
Related Concept Videos
The Synapse
What is a Sensory System?
The Cochlea
The Retina
Chemical Synapses
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
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...