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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

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Enhancement of postsynaptic serotonin-activated Cl- currents by depolarization-induced Ca2+ entry into leech neurons
1Lehrstuhl für Molekulare Neurobiochemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, F.R.G.
Abstract:
Postsynaptic Ca2+ signals are a precondition for many types of synapse modification, including long-term potentiation. Here we describe a postsynaptic mechanism that augments synaptic currents at the serotonergic Retzius-P cell synapse of the leech. Depolarizations large enough to elicit Ca2+ currents evoked an increase in the amplitude of serotonin-activated Cl- currents in isolated embryonic neurons as well as at the Retzius-P cell synapse. The effect on embryonic whole cell currents lasted for up to one hour and was abolished in solutions containing Cd2+ as a Ca2+ channel blocker. Hence, Ca2+ influx into the postsynaptic neuron may be a common step regulating the plasticity of various vertebrate as well as invertebrate synapses.
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