Nanoscale co-organization and coactivation of AMPAR, NMDAR, and mGluR at excitatory synapses

Significance Neuron-to-neuron communication is based on synapse activity where presynapses release neurotransmitters, which activate postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptors. The various families of glutamate receptors at the excitatory synapses are responsible of the fast synaptic transmission as well as the regulation of the long-term signaling implicated in information storage and memory. The organization at the nanometer scale of these postsynaptic receptors is a key determinant for synaptic transmission efficiency. Here, we combined dual-color superresolution imaging with electrophysiology and modeling to determine how the various glutamate receptors are co-organized at the nanoscale and to what extent this organization regulates the receptor activation by a single vesicle release.