Electrical synapse | EPFL Graph Search

An electrical synapse is a mechanical and electrically conductive link between two neighboring neurons that is formed at a narrow gap between the pre- and postsynaptic neurons known as a gap junction. At gap junctions, such cells approach within about 3.8 nm of each other, a much shorter distance than the 20- to 40-nanometer distance that separates cells at chemical synapse. In many animals, electrical synapse-based systems co-exist with chemical synapses. Compared to chemical synapses, electrical synapses conduct nerve impulses faster, but, unlike chemical synapses, they lack gain—the signal in the postsynaptic neuron is the same or smaller than that of the originating neuron. The fundamental bases for perceiving electrical synapses comes down to the connexons that are located in the gap junction between two neurons. Electrical synapses are often found in neural systems that require the fastest possible response, such as defensive reflexes. An important characteristic of elect

Structure and function of the olfactory bulb microcircuit

Michele Pignatelli

The aim of this study is to contribute to understand the physiology of the Olfactory System through detailed microcircuit investigation, adopting advanced electrophysiological and anatomical techniques. Multiple patch clamp recordings allow understanding the structural foundations supporting the network architecture, the biophysical rules adopted by the microcircuit connectivity and the fine dynamic of the synaptic transmission. The study focuses on the Olfactory Bulb microcircuit as a first neuronal processor of sensory inputs. The excitatory elements of the Olfactory Bulb microcircuit are anatomically defined by affiliation to the same receptive field: the Glomerulus. A correlated subthreshold activity between microcircuit elements defines the physiological signature of the microcircuit. We experimentally addressed three fundamental issues: origin of the correlated subthreshold activity, connectivity rules and dynamic of the synaptic transmission. In the first study we attribute the origin of correlated subthreshold activity to a class of pacemaker cells responsible for the synchronization of the population onset and acting therefore as a timer of the microcircuit response. In the second study we investigated the connectivity rules supporting the interaction between excitatory cells. The tight apposition between gap junctions and chemical synapses on the excitatory cells dendrites allows gap junctions to propagate postsynaptic potentials toward surrounding compartments. The result of the propagation is represented by an enhancement in the amplification of the sensory information and an increase in the speed of the reaction time. In the third study we extensively analyzed the mechanisms of the synaptic transmission and the activity dependent properties of synapses, revealing a potential role for the short-term plasticity in the development of the sensory processing. The results of our investigation are going to constitute the foundation of a database available for high definition multi-compartmental modeling of the Olfactory Bulb network.

EPFL2009

Emergent Connectivity Principles in the Neocortex

Imad Riachi

The neocortex makes up over 80% of the mammalian brain and is responsible for higher cognitive functions, processing of sensory inputs and orchestration of complex motor outputs. It is a 6-layered structure composed of billions of morphologically and electrically diverse neurons. Functionally, the basic unit is the neocortical column (NCC), a vertical structure of 0.5 mm wide, repeated millions of times across the neocortex and connected in an intricate but consistent way. In this thesis I investigated the role of morphologies (neurogeometry) in shaping the elaborate connectivity scheme within a column. First, I suggest a morphological basis for the higher than expected reciprocal connectivity reported experimentally between connected pairs, using a newly defined measure: the Reciprocity Index (RI), which arises from a purely mathematical concept and can be derived from the morphometric statistics of neurons. Second, I show that most experimentally reported synaptic patterns between different classes of neurons can be directly computed from the statistics of their morphologies, while some pathways would require additional functional mechanisms to refine an even more specific synaptic pattern. My thesis is done within the Blue Brain Project, the first comprehensive attempt to reverse-engineer the mammalian brain, starting with the somatosensory NCC of a P14 rat. I present in this thesis my contribution in constructing the framework for building biologically accurate circuitry. I explain how we start from 3D neuron morphologies obtained in vitro, repair them for slicing artefacts, build circuits and accurately detect potential synapses. I also explore how modelling of the experimental procedures can help us characterize biases and predict in vivo data from in vitro data. I finally present recent exploratory work on how to use the supercomputing power to design novel in silico protocols to investigate the emergent dynamics of the neocortical column.

EPFL2010