Structure, biophysics, and circuit function of a "giant" cortical presynaptic terminal

The hippocampal mossy fiber synapse, formed between axons of dentate gyrus granule cells and dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons, is a key synapse in the trisynaptic circuitry of the hippocampus. Because of its comparatively large size, this synapse is accessible to direct presynaptic recording, allo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2024-03, Vol.383 (6687), p.eadg6757-eadg6757
Main Authors: Vandael, David, Jonas, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy
Animal models
Biophysics
Brain stem
Calcium channels
Calcium ions
Central nervous system
Cerebellum
Dendritic spines
Dentate gyrus
Detonators
Electron microscopy
Epilepsy
Freeze-fracture
Glutamatergic transmission
Hippocampus
Information storage
Memory
Mental disorders
Microscopy
Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal - physiology
Nervous system
Networks
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neurosciences
New technology
Plastic properties
Plasticity
Potentiation
Presynaptic Terminals
Pyramidal cells
Questions
Recording
Schizophrenia
Synapses
Synaptic plasticity
Synaptic Transmission
Synaptogenesis
Teachers
Therapeutic applications
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Summary:The hippocampal mossy fiber synapse, formed between axons of dentate gyrus granule cells and dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons, is a key synapse in the trisynaptic circuitry of the hippocampus. Because of its comparatively large size, this synapse is accessible to direct presynaptic recording, allowing a rigorous investigation of the biophysical mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Furthermore, because of its placement in the very center of the hippocampal memory circuit, this synapse seems to be critically involved in several higher network functions, such as learning, memory, pattern separation, and pattern completion. Recent work based on new technologies in both nanoanatomy and nanophysiology, including presynaptic patch-clamp recording, paired recording, super-resolution light microscopy, and freeze-fracture and "flash-and-freeze" electron microscopy, has provided new insights into the structure, biophysics, and network function of this intriguing synapse. This brings us one step closer to answering a fundamental question in neuroscience: how basic synaptic properties shape higher network computations.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.adg6757