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- [Shigeo Okabe] Understanding synapse dynamics through nanoscale structural analyses
Graduate School of Medicine, The university of Tokyo
Professor
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Synaptic connectivity, which is an essential element of the neural circuits, is thought to be highly stabilized, in order to achieve long-term storage of memory in the brain. However, molecular components of the synapse show continuous replacement locally. How stability of synapses is generated using molecular constituents that turnover rapidly is one of the central questions in the field of neurobiology, but any definitive answers have not yet been obtained. In this study, we will develop quantitative models of synapses that integrate the results obtained by nanoscale structural analyses, measurements of dynamic behavior of single molecules, and in vivo imaging of synapse stability. The models we generate will clarify how specific combinations of ultrastructural properties and molecular dynamics within synapses realize their long-term stability.
Akihiro Kusumi | Professor, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology |
Yasuhiro Inoue | Associate Professor, Kyoto Univ. |