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Synapse

Concept

In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or to the target effector cell. Synapses are essential to the transmission of nervous impulses from one neuron to another. Neurons are specialized to pass signals to individual target cells, and synapses are the means by which they do so. At a synapse, the plasma membrane of the signal-passing neuron (the presynaptic neuron) comes into close apposition with the membrane of the target (postsynaptic) cell.

Concept

Retrograde signaling

Retrograde signaling in biology is the process where a signal travels backwards from a target source to its original source. For example, the nucleus of a cell is the original source for creating signaling proteins. During retrograde signaling, instead of signals leaving the nucleus, they are sent to the nucleus. In cell biology, this type of signaling typically occurs between the mitochondria or chloroplast and the nucleus. Signaling molecules from the mitochondria or chloroplast act on the nucleus to affect nuclear gene expression.

Concept

Voltage-gated ion channel

Voltage-gated ion channels are a class of transmembrane proteins that form ion channels that are activated by changes in the electrical membrane potential near the channel. The membrane potential alters the conformation of the channel proteins, regulating their opening and closing. Cell membranes are generally impermeable to ions, thus they must diffuse through the membrane through transmembrane protein channels. They have a crucial role in excitable cells such as neuronal and muscle tissues, allowing a rapid and co-ordinated depolarization in response to triggering voltage change.

Concept

Soma (biology)

In cellular neuroscience, the soma (pl. somata or somas; ), perikaryon (pl. perikarya), neurocyton, or cell body is the bulbous, non-process portion of a neuron or other brain cell type, containing the cell nucleus. Although it is often used to refer to neurons, it can also refer to other cell types as well, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. There are many different specialized types of neurons, and their sizes vary from as small as about 5 micrometres to over 10 millimetres for some of the smallest and largest neurons of invertebrates, respectively.

Concept

Ligand-gated ion channel

Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, and/or Cl− to pass through the membrane in response to the binding of a chemical messenger (i.e. a ligand), such as a neurotransmitter. When a presynaptic neuron is excited, it releases a neurotransmitter from vesicles into the synaptic cleft. The neurotransmitter then binds to receptors located on the postsynaptic neuron.

Concept

Chemical synapse

Chemical synapses are biological junctions through which neurons' signals can be sent to each other and to non-neuronal cells such as those in muscles or glands. Chemical synapses allow neurons to form circuits within the central nervous system. They are crucial to the biological computations that underlie perception and thought. They allow the nervous system to connect to and control other systems of the body. At a chemical synapse, one neuron releases neurotransmitter molecules into a small space (the synaptic cleft) that is adjacent to another neuron.

Course

NX-450: Computational neurosciences: biophysics

The course introduces students to a synthesis of modern neuroscience and state-of-the-art data management, modelling and computing technologies with a focus on the biophysical level.

Course

BIO-482: Neuroscience: cellular and circuit mechanisms

This course focuses on the biophysical mechanisms of mammalian brain function. We will describe how neurons communicate through synaptic transmission in order to process sensory information ultimately

Course

BIO-311: Neuroscience

The course starts with fundamentals of electrical - and chemical signaling in neurons. Students then learn how neurons in the brain receive and process sensory information, and how other neurons contr

Course

BIO-480: Neuroscience: from molecular mechanisms to disease

The goal of the course is to guide students through the essential aspects of molecular neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases. The student will gain the ability to dissect the molecular basis of

Lecture

CA1 single cell models MOOC: Simulating a hippocampus micro-circuit

Explores the peculiar properties, variability, optimization, and degeneracy of CA1 neurons.

Lecture

Injecting a current MOOC: Simulation Neurocience

Explains injecting current into a neuron, creating recordings, running simulations, and handling synapses.

MOOC

Simulation Neurocience

Learn how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron to better study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease.

MOOC

Simulation Neurocience

Learn how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron to better study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease.

Person

Henry Markram

Henry Markram started a dual scientific and medical career at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. His scientific work in the 80s revealed the polymodal receptive fields of pontomedullary reticular formation neurons in vivo and how acetylcholine ...

Person

Pierre Magistretti

Pierre J. Magistretti is an internationally-recognized neuroscientist who has made significant contributions in the field of brain energy metabolism. His group has discovered some of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the coupling between ...

Person

Wulfram Gerstner

Wulfram Gerstner is Director of the Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience LCN at the EPFL. His research in computational neuroscience concentrates on models of spiking neurons and spike-timing dependent plasticity, on the problem of neuronal coding in s ...

Person

Ralf Schneggenburger

Publication

Search Results

Synapse

Concept

Synapse

Concept

Retrograde signaling

Concept

Voltage-gated ion channel

Concept

Soma (biology)

Concept

Ligand-gated ion channel

Concept

Chemical synapse

Course

NX-450: Computational neurosciences: biophysics

The course introduces students to a synthesis of modern neuroscience and state-of-the-art data management, modelling and computing technologies with a focus on the biophysical level.

Course

BIO-482: Neuroscience: cellular and circuit mechanisms

Course

BIO-311: Neuroscience

Course

BIO-480: Neuroscience: from molecular mechanisms to disease

The goal of the course is to guide students through the essential aspects of molecular neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases. The student will gain the ability to dissect the molecular basis of

Lecture

CA1 single cell models MOOC: Simulating a hippocampus micro-circuit

Explores the peculiar properties, variability, optimization, and degeneracy of CA1 neurons.

Lecture

Injecting a current MOOC: Simulation Neurocience

Explains injecting current into a neuron, creating recordings, running simulations, and handling synapses.

MOOC

Simulation Neurocience

Learn how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron to better study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease.

MOOC

Simulation Neurocience

Learn how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron to better study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease.

Person

Person

Person

Person

Publication

Synapse

Synapse

Fear learning induces synaptic potentiation between engram neurons in the rat lateral amygdala

A bistable inhibitory optoGPCR for multiplexed optogenetic control of neural circuits