The role of ca2+ in fast neurotransmitter release in a central synapse

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Project objective

It is proposed to investigate in detail the role of Ca2+ in transmitter release in a fast- transmitting CNS synapse by making simultaneous whole-cell recordings from a presynaptic terminal and its postsynaptic partner in a large axosomatic synapse in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. The Ca2+ concentration will be raised uniformly by flash photolysis of 'caged' calcium introduced in the presynaptic terminal via the patch pipette. The raise in Ca2+ will be quantified with a calcium-sensitive dye and calcium imaging techniques. The amount of neurotransmitter that is released as a result of the increase in (Ca2+) will be quantified by measuring the currents in the voltage-clamped postsynaptic cell. By systematically varying the amount of UV exposure, an estimate of the relation between the presynaptic (Ca2+) and the transmitter output can be obtained.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften eV · MÜNCHENCoordinatorGermany
• Not availableCity levelNetherlands

Links

• View on CORDIS