A semi-microscopic model of synaptic transmission and plasticity

TL;DRAbstract

A stochastic model of synaptic transmission has been designed on the basis of electro-physiological experiments. Monte Carlo simulations are performed which include presynaptic mechanisms of recruitment and calcium related release of vesicles, transmitter dynamics in the cleft and postsynaptic receptor kinetics. The model of presynaptic vesicle dynamics has been designed on the basis of experimentally observed patterns of synaptic depression (and facilitation) at the Calyx of Held in the mammalian auditory pathway. It comprises two types of vesicles, readily-releasable vesicles and in addition reluctantly-releasable vesicles, as well as facilitation of release as consequence of changes in the global residual calcium accumulating during previous repetitive activity. It is demonstrated that the transmitter dynamics within the cleft can be effectively modeled by a two-dimensional diffusion process, where absorbing boundary conditions reflect the effect of transmitter uptake by transporter

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