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Related Concept Videos

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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Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

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Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
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Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

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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...
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Amyloid Fibrils03:03

Amyloid Fibrils

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Amyloid fibrils are aggregates of misfolded proteins.  Under most circumstances, misfolded proteins are either refolded by chaperone proteins or degraded by the proteasome. However, in the case of a mutation or a disease, these proteins can accumulate to form large clusters and often further assemble to form elongated fibers, called fibrils. 
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen.   In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
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Electrical Synapses01:28

Electrical Synapses

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Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Microtransplantation of Synaptic Membranes to Reactivate Human Synaptic Receptors for Functional Studies
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Preface to the Special Issue "Presynaptic Dysfunction and Disease".

Karen J Smillie1,2, Michael A Cousin1,2,3, Sarah L Gordon4

  • 1Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Journal of Neurochemistry
|March 17, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Presynaptic dysfunction, problems with the neuron part releasing signals, is central to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding these presynaptic disruptions offers new therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:
JNeurochem Special issue “Presynaptic Dysfunction and Disease”calciumneurodegenerationneurodevelopmental disorderneurotransmitterpresynapsesynaptic vesicle

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The synapse, a junction between presynapse and postsynapse, is crucial for neuronal communication.
  • Presynaptic dysfunction has been increasingly recognized as a significant factor in various neurological conditions.
  • Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders often involve disruptions at the presynaptic level.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight key presynaptic molecules implicated in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
  • To explore the mechanisms underlying presynaptic dysfunction in these conditions.
  • To identify potential therapeutic targets and strategies for treating these disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent literature on presynaptic function and dysfunction.
  • Analysis of molecular pathways and cellular mechanisms affected in neurological disorders.
  • Synthesis of findings to propose therapeutic avenues.

Main Results:

  • Identification of critical presynaptic molecules and pathways disrupted in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Elucidation of the role of presynaptic dysfunction in disease pathogenesis.
  • Highlighting of emerging therapeutic strategies targeting presynaptic mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Presynaptic dysfunction is a pivotal element in a range of neurological disorders.
  • Targeting presynaptic molecules and mechanisms presents promising therapeutic opportunities.
  • Further research into presynaptic biology can lead to novel treatments for brain disorders.