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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.
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Chemical Synapses01:26

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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.
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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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Long-term Depression01:05

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Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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Long-term Depression01:03

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Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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Synaptic Signaling01:09

Synaptic Signaling

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Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 3, 2025

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices
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Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

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It's lights out for presynaptic terminals.

Xinyi Jenny He1, Matthew R Banghart1

  • 1Division of Biological Sciences, Neurobiology Section, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

Neuron
|June 3, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

New optogenetic tools, eOPN3 and PPO, enable sustained, projection-specific presynaptic silencing. These light-activated inhibitory G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) offer reversible control over synaptic transmission in mice.

Keywords:
GPCRdopamineoptogeneticspresynapticrhodopsinsilencingsynaptic transmission

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The Neuromuscular Junction: Measuring Synapse Size, Fragmentation and Changes in Synaptic Protein Density Using Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 3, 2025

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The Neuromuscular Junction: Measuring Synapse Size, Fragmentation and Changes in Synaptic Protein Density Using Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
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An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins
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An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Optogenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Developing precise tools for controlling neural activity is crucial for understanding brain function.
  • Sustained and projection-specific presynaptic silencing has been a significant challenge in neuroscience research.
  • Optogenetic approaches offer light-inducible control over neuronal function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and validate novel optogenetic tools for targeted presynaptic inhibition.
  • To demonstrate the efficacy of eOPN3 and PPO in reversibly suppressing synaptic transmission.
  • To provide researchers with reliable methods for studying the role of specific neuronal projections.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized light-activated inhibitory G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs): eOPN3 and PPO.
  • Applied optogenetic stimulation to induce presynaptic silencing in specific neuronal projections.
  • Assessed the impact of these tools on synaptic transmission in mouse models.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated successful and reversible suppression of synaptic transmission using eOPN3 and PPO.
  • Showcased the ability of these tools to achieve projection-specific presynaptic silencing.
  • Confirmed the sustained efficacy of these optogenetic silencing tools.

Conclusions:

  • Mahn et al. (2021) and Copits et al. (2021) present eOPN3 and PPO as effective optogenetic tools for presynaptic silencing.
  • These novel GPCRs provide a powerful new method for reversibly controlling synaptic activity in a projection-specific manner.
  • The developed tools advance the capability for detailed investigation of neural circuit function.