In recent years, sensory neuroscientists have made major efforts to dissect the structure and
function of ribbon synapses which process sensory information in the eye and ear. This …

Astrocytes are housekeepers of the central nervous system (CNS) and are important for
CNS development, homeostasis and defence. They communicate with neurones and other …

The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca 2+]) has important roles in the triggering of
neurotransmitter release and the regulation of short-term plasticity (STP). Transmitter …

Sensory synapses of the visual and auditory systems must faithfully encode a wide dynamic
range of graded signals, and must be capable of sustained transmitter release over long …

Sensory neurons with short conduction distances can use nonregenerative, graded
potentials to modulate transmitter release continuously. This mechanism can transmit …

Vesicle fusion and transmitter release at synapses is driven by a highly localized Ca2+
signal that rapidly builds up around open Ca2+-channels at and near presynaptic active …

Inner hair cell ribbon synapses indefatigably transmit acoustic information. The proteins
mediating their fast vesicle replenishment (hundreds of vesicles per s) are unknown. We …

Cells assemble macromolecular complexes into scaffoldings that serve as substrates for
catalytic processes. Years of molecular neurobiology research indicate that …

Calcium influx through voltage-gated Ca (CaV) channels is the first step in synaptic
transmission. This review concerns CaV channels at ribbon synapses in primary sense …

At the first synapse in the auditory pathway, the receptor potential of mechanosensory hair
cells is converted into a firing pattern in auditory nerve fibers. For the accurate coding of …