Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Integration of Synaptic Events01:28

Integration of Synaptic Events

2.4K
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
2.4K
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

13.1K
Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
13.1K
Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation01:28

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

8.0K
The action potential is a complex electrical event that occurs in excitable cells, such as neurons and muscle cells. It consists of several distinct phases, each with specific characteristics.
Resting Phase:
In this phase, the cell's membrane is at its resting potential, typically around -70 millivolts (mV) for neurons. Inside the cell, there is a higher concentration of potassium ions (K+) and a lower concentration of sodium ions (Na+). Voltage-gated sodium channels are closed, and...
8.0K
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

3.3K
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
3.3K
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

3.4K
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...
3.4K
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

3.6K
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...
3.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Single-vesicle imaging reveals actin-dependent spatial restriction of vesicles at the active zone, essential for sustained transmission.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

A maximum of two readily releasable vesicles per docking site at a cerebellar single active zone synapse.

eLife·2024
Same author

Depolarization-induced bursts of miniature synaptic currents in individual synapses of developing cerebellum.

The Journal of general physiology·2023
Same author

Quantal analysis estimates docking site occupancy determining short-term depression at hippocampal glutamatergic synapses.

The Journal of physiology·2021
Same author

Incomplete vesicular docking limits synaptic strength under high release probability conditions.

eLife·2020
Same author

A two-step docking site model predicting different short-term synaptic plasticity patterns.

The Journal of general physiology·2018

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
10:52

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

13.2K

Three small vesicular pools in sequence govern synaptic response dynamics during action potential trains.

Van Tran1, Takafumi Miki2, Alain Marty3

  • 1Saints-Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; le-thuy-van.tran@parisdescartes.fr tmiki@mail.doshisha.ac.jp.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 1, 2022
PubMed
Summary

A small pool of vesicles upstream of the readily releasable pool (RRP) controls synaptic strength during sustained stimulation. This upstream pool depletes rapidly and maintains a steady state during prolonged action potential trains.

Keywords:
parallel fibershort-term plasticitysimple synapse recordingvesicle replenishmentvesicular pool

More Related Videos

Examination of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling Using FM Dyes During Evoked, Spontaneous, and Miniature Synaptic Activities
08:10

Examination of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling Using FM Dyes During Evoked, Spontaneous, and Miniature Synaptic Activities

Published on: March 31, 2014

21.2K
Quantitative Analysis of Synaptic Vesicle Pool Replenishment in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Neurons using FM Dyes
09:02

Quantitative Analysis of Synaptic Vesicle Pool Replenishment in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Neurons using FM Dyes

Published on: November 11, 2011

15.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
10:52

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

13.2K
Examination of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling Using FM Dyes During Evoked, Spontaneous, and Miniature Synaptic Activities
08:10

Examination of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling Using FM Dyes During Evoked, Spontaneous, and Miniature Synaptic Activities

Published on: March 31, 2014

21.2K
Quantitative Analysis of Synaptic Vesicle Pool Replenishment in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Neurons using FM Dyes
09:02

Quantitative Analysis of Synaptic Vesicle Pool Replenishment in Cultured Cerebellar Granule Neurons using FM Dyes

Published on: November 11, 2011

15.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Synaptic transmission relies on the release of neurotransmitters from vesicles.
  • The readily releasable pool (RRP) is crucial for sustained neurotransmission.
  • Understanding upstream vesicular pools is key to synaptic function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a method for tracking RRP and upstream vesicular pool dynamics.
  • To determine the size and filling dynamics of vesicular pools upstream of the RRP.
  • To investigate the control of synaptic strength during sustained stimulation.

Main Methods:

  • Tracking vesicular release at single active zone synapses.
  • Developing a method to follow RRP and upstream pool sizes over time.
  • Analyzing synaptic output during prolonged action potential trains.

Main Results:

  • The RRP is supplied by a small upstream pool (1-4 vesicles/docking site at rest).
  • This upstream pool is significantly depleted by short action potential trains.
  • A steady, depleted state of the upstream pool is reached for trains of >10 action potentials.

Conclusions:

  • A small, dynamic vesicular pool upstream of the RRP potently controls synaptic strength.
  • The replenishment speed of the RRP is influenced by this upstream pool.
  • This finding provides new insights into synaptic vesicle dynamics and regulation.