Actin-Branching Protein Localization in Spines

kavin submitted, created time 7 months 4 days (www.jneurosci.org)

By averaging data from many spines, the authors found that ARPC-2, a part of the Arp2/3 protein complex, is concentrated in a ring at a fixed distance from the plasma membrane, about halfway between the spine neck and the postsynaptic density.

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Recurrent axon collaterals underlie facilitating synapses between cerebellar Purkinje cells

richard submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.pnas.org)

Morphological studies have provided ample evidence for synaptic connections between cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs), but the functional properties of these synapses remain elusive. We report on direct recordings of synaptically connected PCs in mice cerebellar slices.

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Fragile X mental retardation protein deficiency leads to excessive mGluR5-dependent internalization of AMPA receptors

scott submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.pnas.org)

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common inherited form of mental retardation, is caused by the functional absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein that regulates the translation of specific mRNAs at synapses. Altered synaptic plasticity has been described in a mouse FXS model.

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Multiple Modes of Synaptic Excitation of Olfactory Bulb Granule Cells

badboy submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.jneurosci.org)

" Most excitatory synapses we examined onto granule cells activated both NMDARs and AMPA receptors, whereas a subpopulation appeared to be NMDAR silent. The convergence of two types of excitatory inputs onto GABAergic granule cells provides a novel mechanism for regulating the degree of interglomerular processing of sensory input in the olfactory bulb through piriform cortex/olfactory bulb synaptic interactions. "

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Monitoring Synaptic Function at the Neuromuscular Junction of a Mouse Expressing SynaptopHluorin

alpha submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.jneurosci.org)

"We monitored presynaptic exocytosis and vesicle recycling at neuromuscular junctions of transgenic mice expressing synaptopHluorin (spH), using simultaneous optical and electrophysiological recordings. Synaptic transmission was indistinguishable from that in wild-type controls. Fluorescence rose during and decayed monotonically after stimulus trains to the nerve, with amplitudes and decay times increasing with the amount of stimulation. The relatively large size of synaptic terminals allowed us to examine the spatial profile of fluorescence changes."

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Addictive drugs harm brain's natural brake: study

julie submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.reuters.com)

" A single dose of morphine was found to lower the inhibitions of rats, even after the drug had left their systems, a finding that may help scientists better understand addiction in humans, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday."

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LTP forms 1, 2 and 3: different mechanisms for the ‘long’ in long-term potentiation

badboy submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

"Long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission is a primary experimental model of memory formation in neuronal circuits. Because of the intellectual appeal and scientific fecundity of the field, it is perhaps unsurprising that the literature on LTP contains many complex and often contradictory findings. Recognition that LTP is not a unitary phenomenon and mechanisms can differ between brain regions has resolved some controversy. However, further categorization can be made of mechanistically discrete forms of LTP at the same set of synapses

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Neuronal death: where does the end begin?

athena submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

"Neurodegenerative disorders involve death of cell bodies, axons, dendrites and synapses, but it is surprisingly difficult to determine the spatiotemporal sequence of events and the causal relationships among these events. "

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Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Induces Synapse Loss through Acute Postsynaptic Translational Regulation

alpha submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.jneurosci.org)

"Fragile X syndrome, as well as other forms of mental retardation and autism, is associated with altered dendritic spine number and structure. Fragile X syndrome is caused by loss-of-function mutations in Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein that regulates protein synthesis in vivo."

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Cell adhesion molecules: signalling functions at the synapse

badboy submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.nature.com)

Cell adhesion molecules localized at synapses do more than provide a physical link between pre and post-synaptic cells. Dalva and colleagues review the evidence for the roles of these molecules in synaptic development, and in the regulation of synaptic function.

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