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

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

2.7K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
2.7K
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

9.3K
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...
9.3K
Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

2.9K
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...
2.9K
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

10.9K
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...
10.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Metal Neurotoxicity assessment: A new imaging and analysis pipeline for primary neurons in co-cultures.

Journal of neuroscience methods·2026
Same author

Matrix metalloproteinase activation and TNF upregulation characterize the sclerotic phase of aortic valve disease.

British journal of biomedical science·2026
Same author

Author Correction: Disease exacerbation in human DMD MYOrganoids enables gene therapy evaluation and unveils persistence of fibrotic activity.

NPJ Regenerative medicine·2026
Same author

Synchrotron XRF Imaging Reveals Manganese Accumulation in the Golgi and Post-Synapses of Neurons and Enhanced Uptake in Astrocytes.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same author

Taenia solium extracellular vesicles decrease reactive oxygen species production in human neutrophils by inhibiting myeloperoxidase activity.

Bioscience reports·2026
Same author

Synapse-specific and plasticity-regulated AMPA receptor mobility tunes synaptic integration.

Neuron·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Inhibitory Synapse Formation in a Co-culture Model Incorporating GABAergic Medium Spiny Neurons and HEK293 Cells Stably Expressing GABAA Receptors
07:51

Inhibitory Synapse Formation in a Co-culture Model Incorporating GABAergic Medium Spiny Neurons and HEK293 Cells Stably Expressing GABAA Receptors

Published on: November 14, 2014

17.5K

MDGAs are fast-diffusing molecules that delay excitatory synapse development by altering neuroligin behavior.

Andrea Toledo1, Mathieu Letellier1, Giorgia Bimbi1

  • 1University of Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5297, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Bordeaux, France.

Elife
|May 9, 2022
PubMed
Summary

MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor proteins (MDGAs) bind neuroligins, delaying excitatory synapse assembly. Silencing MDGAs enhances synapse density and AMPA receptor function in neurons.

Keywords:
Electrophysiologyadhesion moleculescell biologyhippocampal culturesneuroscienceratsingle molecule trackingsynapse development

More Related Videos

Osmotic Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans: Synaptic Function of Two Genes, Orthologues of Human NRXN1 and NLGN1, as Candidates for Autism
11:20

Osmotic Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans: Synaptic Function of Two Genes, Orthologues of Human NRXN1 and NLGN1, as Candidates for Autism

Published on: December 11, 2009

11.9K
Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice
08:27

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice

Published on: March 11, 2020

6.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Inhibitory Synapse Formation in a Co-culture Model Incorporating GABAergic Medium Spiny Neurons and HEK293 Cells Stably Expressing GABAA Receptors
07:51

Inhibitory Synapse Formation in a Co-culture Model Incorporating GABAergic Medium Spiny Neurons and HEK293 Cells Stably Expressing GABAA Receptors

Published on: November 14, 2014

17.5K
Osmotic Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans: Synaptic Function of Two Genes, Orthologues of Human NRXN1 and NLGN1, as Candidates for Autism
11:20

Osmotic Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans: Synaptic Function of Two Genes, Orthologues of Human NRXN1 and NLGN1, as Candidates for Autism

Published on: December 11, 2009

11.9K
Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice
08:27

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice

Published on: March 11, 2020

6.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor proteins (MDGAs) are implicated in synapse development by interacting with neuroligins and neurexins.
  • The precise subcellular localization, dynamics, and functional mechanisms of MDGAs in neurons are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the subcellular distribution and dynamics of MDGAs in hippocampal neurons.
  • To elucidate the role of MDGAs in regulating synapse development and function, particularly concerning neuroligin-1 and AMPA receptors.

Main Methods:

  • Surface immunostaining of endogenous MDGAs.
  • Single molecule tracking of recombinant MDGAs in dissociated hippocampal neurons.
  • Gene silencing using shRNAs and CRISPR/Cas9 to knock down or knock out MDGAs.
  • Analysis of synapse density, neuroligin-1 confinement, and AMPA receptor mobility.
  • Electrophysiological recordings of miniature and evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs).

Main Results:

  • MDGAs are homogeneously distributed on the neuronal membrane with fast diffusion dynamics.
  • MDGA depletion increases excitatory synapse density and neuroligin-1 membrane confinement.
  • Silencing MDGAs reduces AMPA receptor mobility and enhances evoked AMPA-receptor-mediated EPSCs.
  • MDGA knockdown increases miniature EPSC frequency but not miniature IPSC frequency.

Conclusions:

  • MDGA interaction with neuroligin-1 acts as a brake on the assembly of functional excitatory synapses.
  • MDGAs delay the maturation of excitatory synapses by regulating neuroligin-1 and AMPA receptor dynamics.