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Related Concept Videos

The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

131.4K
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.
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Overview of Synapses01:25

Overview of Synapses

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A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...
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Long-term Potentiation01:25

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Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when...
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Long-term Potentiation01:35

Long-term Potentiation

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Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

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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...
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Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 6, 2025

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity
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3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity

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Species-specific differences in synaptic transmission and plasticity.

Prateep Beed1,2, Saikat Ray3,4, Laura Moreno Velasquez5

  • 1Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. prateep.beed@charite.de.

Scientific Reports
|October 7, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus differs between Etruscan shrews and mice, particularly in CA3 mossy fiber synapses. This highlights evolutionary divergence in neuronal circuit functions and learning mechanisms across species.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Comparative Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Hippocampal synaptic transmission and plasticity are crucial for learning and memory.
  • Rodent models dominate research, limiting understanding of cross-species generality.
  • The Etruscan shrew possesses conserved hippocampal anatomy, making it a unique model.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate synaptic properties and plasticity in the Etruscan shrew hippocampus.
  • To compare these mechanisms with those in mice.
  • To explore the evolutionary divergence of neuronal circuit functions.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings from CA1 Schaffer collateral and CA3 mossy fiber synapses.
  • Analysis of synaptic plasticity (long-term and short-term).
  • Assessment of synaptotagmin 7 protein expression in shrews, mice, and bats.

Main Results:

  • CA1 Schaffer collateral synapses showed similarities between shrews and mice.
  • CA3 mossy fiber synapses exhibited lower long-term plasticity in shrews compared to mice.
  • Short-term plasticity and synaptotagmin 7 expression were lower in shrew mossy fibers, similar to bats.

Conclusions:

  • Species-specific differences in synaptic plasticity and key regulatory proteins exist.
  • Evolutionary divergence impacts neuronal circuit functions.
  • Synaptotagmin 7 may play a conserved, yet divergent, role in synaptic plasticity across species.