Studying synaptic protein assemblies helps us understand the nature of communication between neurons

Researchers at the Institut Pasteur (Paris) recently combined fluorescence imaging, computational modeling, and electron microscopy to show how the diversity of nanoscale protein assemblies drives diversity in communication between neurons in the brain. This study opens up new avenues of research for linking molecular function to alterations in information processing by the brain, and may also serve as a building block for understanding alterations in brain connectivity diseases such as autism, schizophrenia and depression.

Communication between neurons in the brain occurs through synapses. Synaptic strength and plasticity are fundamental parameters for routing information throughout the brain and storing memories. Unlike electrical connections within manufactured electrical circuits, “synapses are diverse in terms of their efficiency of communication (synaptic strength), and are extremely plastic”, explains David DiGregorio, Head of the Synapse and Circuit Dynamics Laboratory at the Institut Pasteur (CNRS – UMR3571). This diversity in information flow is partly what makes our brain a unique and powerful computing device.

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