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AMPA-receptors and fast synaptic transmission in the brain

Published on January 19, 2015   36 min

A selection of talks on Neurology

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0:00
Hello, I'm Stuart Cull-Candy from University College London. And I'm going to be considering some of the cellular and molecular aspects of synaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptor that allow them to mediate false synaptic transmission in the brain. So I'll be considering how the functional properties of these receptors shape the transmission process.
0:22
And I'm going to be covering five main topics indicated in this slide. I'll start by describing broadly, how AMPA-receptors mediate the fast component of excitatory transmission in the brain. Secondly, I'll address the question of how many functionally distinct types of AMPA-receptors are involved in transmission and the functional importance of their topology. Third, I'll consider how AMPA-receptor diversity shapes synaptic transmission and the implications of their differential distribution and plasticity. Fourth, I'll ask how AMPA-receptor structure affects its behavior and properties. And fifth, I'll ask what role do auxiliary AMPA-receptor proteins, such as stargazin, play in controlling AMPA-receptor properties and diversity.
1:12
So let's start by asking, how do AMPA-receptors mediate fast synaptic transmission in the brain? Well, as you know, in the brain, neighboring neurons are in very close proximity, but they're not usually in close enough physical contact for the nerve impulse to jump across the intervening gap between the cells. So to achieve this, a majority of neurons use a chemical transmitter that's released from the presynaptic cell.

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AMPA-receptors and fast synaptic transmission in the brain

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