Activity-dependent, homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release from auditory nerve fibers.

ABSTRACT: Information processing in the brain requires reliable synaptic transmission. High reliability at specialized auditory nerve synapses in the cochlear nucleus results from many release sites (N), high probability of neurotransmitter release (Pr), and large quantal size (Q). However, high Pr also causes auditory nerve synapses to depress strongly when activated at normal rates for a prolonged period, which reduces fidelity. We studied how synapses are influenced by prolonged activity by exposing mice to constant, nondamaging noise and found that auditory nerve synapses changed to facilitating, reflecting low Pr. For mice returned to quiet, synapses recovered to normal depression, suggesting that these changes are a homeostatic response to activity. Two additional properties, Q and average exc

SUBMITTER: Ngodup T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4443347 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature