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Calcium dependence of spontaneous neurotransmitter release
Author(s) -
Williams Courtney L.,
Smith Stephen M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.24116
Subject(s) - excitatory postsynaptic potential , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , extracellular , neurotransmitter , intracellular , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , synaptic vesicle , calcium , biophysics , neurotransmission , neuroscience , biology , receptor , vesicle , biochemistry , membrane , organic chemistry
Spontaneous release of neurotransmitters is regulated by extracellular [Ca 2+ ] and intracellular [Ca 2+ ]. Curiously, some of the mechanisms of Ca 2+ signaling at central synapses are different at excitatory and inhibitory synapses. While the stochastic activity of voltage‐activated Ca 2+ channels triggers a majority of spontaneous release at inhibitory synapses, this is not the case at excitatory nerve terminals. Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores regulates spontaneous release at excitatory and inhibitory terminals, as do agonists of the Ca 2+ ‐sensing receptor. Molecular machinery triggering spontaneous vesicle fusion may differ from that underlying evoked release and may be one of the sources of heterogeneity in release mechanisms.