Issue 20, 2024

Nanoelectrochemistry reveals how presynaptic neurons regulate vesicle release to sustain synaptic plasticity under repetitive stimuli

Abstract

Synaptic plasticity is the ability of synapses to modulate synaptic strength in response to dynamic changes within, as well as environmental changes. Although there is a considerable body of knowledge on protein expression and receptor migration in different categories of synaptic plasticity, the contribution and impact of presynaptic vesicle release and neurotransmitter levels towards plasticity remain largely unclear. Herein, nanoelectrochemistry using carbon fiber nanoelectrodes with excellent spatio-temporal resolution was applied for real-time monitoring of presynaptic vesicle release of dopamine inside single synapses of dopaminergic neurons, and exocytotic variations in quantity and kinetics under repetitive electrical stimuli. We found that the presynaptic terminal tends to maintain synaptic strength by rapidly recruiting vesicles, changing the dynamics of exocytosis, and maintaining sufficient neurotransmitter release in following stimuli. Except for small clear synaptic vesicles, dense core vesicles are involved in exocytosis to sustain the neurotransmitter level in later periods of repetitive stimuli. These data indicate that vesicles use a potential regulatory mechanism to establish short-term plasticity, and provide new directions for exploring the synaptic mechanisms in connection and plasticity.

Graphical abstract: Nanoelectrochemistry reveals how presynaptic neurons regulate vesicle release to sustain synaptic plasticity under repetitive stimuli

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Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
11 Mar 2024
Accepted
12 Apr 2024
First published
15 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2024,15, 7651-7658

Nanoelectrochemistry reveals how presynaptic neurons regulate vesicle release to sustain synaptic plasticity under repetitive stimuli

F. Zhang, X. Yang, Y. Qi, S. Tian and W. Huang, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 7651 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC01664E

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