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Related Concept Videos

Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

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 presynaptic neurons...
Long-term Potentiation01:35

Long-term Potentiation

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.
Brain Imaging01:14

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans),  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),  functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

Ex Vivo Optogenetic Interrogation of Long-Range Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity from Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Lateral Entorhinal Cortex
11:31

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Published on: February 25, 2022

Long-term editing of brain circuits using an engineered electrical synapse.

Elizabeth Ransey1,2, Gwenaëlle E Thomas1,3, Elias M Wisdom4

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.

Nature
|May 13, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers engineered a novel electrical synapse using fish connexins to precisely modulate mammalian neural circuits. This breakthrough, termed LinCx (long-term integration of circuits using connexins), enables targeted circuit editing and behavioral modification.

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Last Updated: May 15, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Electrical signaling between brain cells is crucial for cognitive and emotional functions.
  • Selective regulation of electrical signaling between specific cellular components in mammalian neural circuits is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a novel electrical synapse for precise modulation of mammalian neural circuits.
  • To identify structural motifs enabling specific connexin hemichannel docking for synapse formation.
  • To validate the engineered electrical synapse in vivo for circuit editing and behavioral modification.

Main Methods:

  • Engineered an electrical synapse using connexin34.7 and connexin35 from Morone americana (white perch fish).
  • Utilized protein mutagenesis and a novel in vitro system to assay connexin hemichannel docking.
  • Employed computational modeling to understand hemichannel interactions and identify key structural motifs.
  • Validated the engineered synapse in vivo in Caenorhabditis elegans and Mus musculus.

Main Results:

  • Identified a structural motif essential for specific electrical synapse formation between engineered connexins.
  • Designed connexin34.7 and connexin35 hemichannels that selectively dock, forming functional electrical synapses.
  • Demonstrated that the engineered synapse strengthens communication between distinct cell types in neural circuits.
  • Showed that the synapse can modify behavior in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • Successfully engineered a novel, specific electrical synapse for mammalian neural circuit modulation.
  • Established 'long-term integration of circuits using connexins' (LinCx) as a tool for precision circuit editing.
  • This approach offers new possibilities for understanding and manipulating neural circuit function and behavior.