Neurotransmitter Release and its Modulation

12 Neurotransmitter Release and Its Modulation

The nature of synaptic interactions between cells is either excitatory or inhibitory. Activity in one cell either enhances or reduces activity in the target neuron. The strength of this influence and its duration are quite variable among synapses, and the mechanisms responsible for the postsynaptic effect are also variable. The classic syn-aptic action is to open ion channels, causing excitator...

DENDRITIC NEUROTRANSMITTER RELEASE AND ITS MODULATION IN ACCESSORY OLFACTORY BULB CIRCUITS by

Neurotransmitter : Release

The nervous system is composed of networks of cells that engage in coordinated circuits to permit neural function. Within these precise neural circuits, communication between individual cells is primarily chemical in nature. Neurotransmitter release via exocytosis of neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles is a fundamental step in this process. Here we overview the biochemical processes that ...

Calcium permeability changes and neurotransmitter release in cultured brain neurons. II. Temporal analysis of neurotransmitter release.

The coupling between depolarization-induced calcium entry and neurotransmitter release was studied in rat brain neurons in culture. The endogenous dopamine content of the cells was determined by high performance liquid chromatography utilizing electrochemical detection. The amount of dopamine in unstimulated cells was found to be about 16 ng/mg of protein. Depolarization of the neurons by eleva...

Calcium control of neurotransmitter release.

Upon entering a presynaptic terminal, an action potential opens Ca(2+) channels, and transiently increases the local Ca(2+) concentration at the presynaptic active zone. Ca(2+) then triggers neurotransmitter release within a few hundred microseconds by activating synaptotagmins Ca(2+). Synaptotagmins bind Ca(2+) via two C2-domains, and transduce the Ca(2+) signal into a nanomechanical activatio...