Distinct neuronal coding schemes in memory revealed by selective erasure of fast synchronous synaptic transmission.

ABSTRACT: Neurons encode information by firing spikes in isolation or bursts and propagate information by spike-triggered neurotransmitter release that initiates synaptic transmission. Isolated spikes trigger neurotransmitter release unreliably but with high temporal precision. In contrast, bursts of spikes trigger neurotransmission reliably (i.e., boost transmission fidelity), but the resulting synaptic responses are temporally imprecise. However, the relative physiological importance of different spike-firing modes remains unclear. Here, we show that knockdown of synaptotagmin-1, the major Ca(2+) sensor for neurotransmitter release, abrogated neurotransmission evoked by isolated spikes but only delayed, without abolishing, neurotransmission evoked by bursts of spikes. Nevertheless, knockdown of sy

SUBMITTER: Xu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3319466 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature