Voltage-gated calcium channels are the primary mediators of depolarization-induced
calcium entry into neurons. There is great diversity of calcium channel subtypes due to …

Most neuronal communication relies upon the synchronous release of neurotransmitters,
which occurs through synaptic vesicle exocytosis triggered by action potential invasion of a …

Synaptic transmission is maintained by a delicate, sub-synaptic molecular architecture, and
even mild alterations in synapse structure drive functional changes during experience …

Many crowded biomolecular structures in cells and tissues are inaccessible to labelling
antibodies. To understand how proteins within these structures are arranged with nanoscale …

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 …

A major challenge in neuroscience is to determine the nanoscale position and quantity of
signaling molecules in a cell type–and subcellular compartment–specific manner. We …

Sound pressure fluctuations striking the ear are conveyed to the cochlea, where they vibrate
the basilar membrane on which sit hair cells, the mechanoreceptors of the inner ear …

Bassoon and Piccolo are two very large scaffolding proteins of the cytomatrix assembled at
the active zone (CAZ) where neurotransmitter is released. They share regions of high …

Summary Voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels (Ca V s) represent the principal source of Ca
2+ ions that trigger evoked neurotransmitter release from presynaptic boutons. Ca 2+ influx …

Sustained rate-coded signals encode many types of sensory modalities. Some sensory
synapses possess specialized ribbon structures, which tether vesicles, to enable high …