Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Studying Pre-formed Fibril Induced α-Synuclein Accumulation in Primary Embryonic Mouse Midbrain Dopamine Neurons
Published on: August 16, 2020
α-Synuclein in synaptic function and dysfunction
Manu Sharma1, Jacqueline Burré1
1Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
α-Synuclein is a neuronal protein that is enriched in presynaptic terminals. Under physiological conditions, it binds to synaptic vesicle membranes and functions in neurotransmitter release, although the molecular details remain unclear, and it is controversial whether α-synuclein inhibits or facilitates neurotransmitter release. Pathologically, in synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease (PD), α-synuclein forms aggregates that recruit monomeric α-synuclein and spread throughout the brain, which triggers neuronal dysfunction at molecular, cellular, and organ levels. Here, we present an overview of the effects of α-synuclein on SNARE-complex assembly, neurotransmitter release, and synaptic vesicle pool homeostasis, and discuss how the observed divergent effects of α-synuclein on neurotransmitter release can be reconciled. We also discuss how gain-of-function versus loss-of-function of α-synuclein may contribute to pathogenesis in synucleinopathies.
Related Concept Videos
Neural Regulation
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Lysosomal Hydrolases
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

