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Related Concept Videos

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

3.1K
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...
3.1K
Integration of Synaptic Events01:28

Integration of Synaptic Events

1.7K
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...
1.7K
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

2.9K
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...
2.9K
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....
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 22, 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

13.0K

Quantifying postsynaptic receptor dynamics: insights into synaptic function.

Stephanie A Maynard1, Jonas Ranft2, Antoine Triller3

  • 1Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Université PSL, Paris, France.

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|November 9, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic stability relies on balancing molecular turnover and plasticity. New methods quantify synaptic molecules to understand how neuronal connections maintain structure during learning and memory.

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Quantifying Synapses: an Immunocytochemistry-based Assay to Quantify Synapse Number
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Acute Dissociation of Lamprey Reticulospinal Axons to Enable Recording from the Release Face Membrane of Individual Functional Presynaptic Terminals
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Acute Dissociation of Lamprey Reticulospinal Axons to Enable Recording from the Release Face Membrane of Individual Functional Presynaptic Terminals

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
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Quantifying Synapses: an Immunocytochemistry-based Assay to Quantify Synapse Number
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Quantifying Synapses: an Immunocytochemistry-based Assay to Quantify Synapse Number

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Acute Dissociation of Lamprey Reticulospinal Axons to Enable Recording from the Release Face Membrane of Individual Functional Presynaptic Terminals
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Acute Dissociation of Lamprey Reticulospinal Axons to Enable Recording from the Release Face Membrane of Individual Functional Presynaptic Terminals

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Synaptic molecular composition is dynamic, yet stable postsynaptic responses are crucial for development and plasticity.
  • Learning and memory involve plastic changes in synaptic molecular makeup, complicating stability understanding.
  • Reconciling molecular dynamics with long-term synaptic function is a key challenge in neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review quantitative approaches for describing postsynaptic receptor dynamics.
  • To elucidate the balance between molecular turnover and synaptic stability.
  • To understand the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and structural integrity.

Main Methods:

  • Single-particle tracking to quantify molecular number and diffusion.
  • Statistical thermodynamics to analyze molecular fluctuations.
  • Quantitative descriptions of molecular turnover and stability.

Main Results:

  • Single-particle tracking enables quantification of synaptic molecule dynamics.
  • Statistical thermodynamics provides a framework for analyzing molecular fluctuations.
  • These methods offer insights into receptor turnover, stability, and plasticity.

Conclusions:

  • Quantitative analysis of molecular dynamics is essential for understanding synaptic plasticity.
  • Balancing local molecular turnover with structural integrity is key to synaptic function.
  • These approaches advance our comprehension of learning, memory, and synaptic development.