You are studying synaptic transmission and discover a treatment that reduces the

Question

You are studying synaptic transmission and discover a treatment that reduces the proportion of failures at your synapse (the fraction of presynaptic action potentials that do not produce a postsynaptic response).

a.) Propose mechanisms that might explain what is changed by this treatment. Include discussion of interpretations from classical Quantal Analysis as well as more recent work on Silent Synapses.

b.) Propose one or more experiments that could test what is actually changed at your synapse by this treatment. Include a brief description of possible results and how you would interpret the results.

Explanation / Answer

a. The quantal theory postulates that neurotransmitter molecules are stored in packets called quanta and its content is released at the synapse in a probabilistic manner. But the assumption here is that transmitter release sites operate independent of each other. The above treatment could explain the phenomenon of intersynaptic neurotransmitter spillover. i.e. each site affects its surrounding sites and thereby can affect sensitisation of synapse. Silent synapses represent a model of potentiation of synapse called experience development. This treatment can hold promise for excitation of silent synapses.

b. This part is hypothetical and cannot be predicted based on the information given. More information required.

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