Grant Details
Description
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of the proposed
experiments is to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of synapse
formation within the cerebral cortex. The fundamental questions of
synaptogenesis are how a growth cone is transformed into a presynaptic terminal
and how a postsynaptic specialization forms opposite a presynaptic terminal.
This study will focus on the development of the presynaptic side of the
synapse, about which very little is known. Because the evolution of an axonal
growth cone into a presynaptic terminal is a highly dynamic process, the
proposed experiments will make use of a novel, real-time approach to examine
simultaneously the morphological and physiological changes that occur as a
synapse forms. To do this, time-lapse confocal imaging will be combined with
patch-clamp recording from single, identifiable synapses and growth cones of
cultured cortical neurons. Changes in membrane dynamics, protein trafficking,
and synaptic transmission will be explored. The results of these experiments
will not only significantly improve the current understanding of normal brain
development, but also have implications for treatment of neurodevelopmental
disorders and numerous neurological disorders characterized by synaptic loss.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 04/1/02 → 03/31/04 |
Funding
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: $46,420.00
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: $38,320.00
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