Shaping the synaptic signal: molecular mobility inside and outside the cleft

Rapid communication in the brain relies on the release and diffusion of small transmitter molecules across the synaptic cleft. How these diffuse signals are transformed into cellular responses is determined by the scatter of target postsynaptic receptors, which in turn depends on receptor movement in cell membranes. Thus, by shaping information transfer in neural circuits, mechanisms that regulate molecular mobility affect nearly every aspect of brain function and dysfunction. Here we review two facets of molecular mobility that have traditionally been considered separately, namely extracellular and intra-membrane diffusion. By focusing on the interplay between these processes we illustrate the remarkable versatility of signal formation in synapses and highlight areas of emerging understanding in the molecular physiology and biophysics of synaptic transmission.

• Publication year

  2011

• Venue

  Trends in Neurosciences

• Publication date

  2011-07-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.tins.2011.03.002PMID 21470699PMCID 3133640
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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