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Presynaptic fluctuations and release-independent depression

Nature Neuroscience volume 9, pages 1091–1093 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Although vesicle depletion contributes to short-term depression, several studies have reported that the release probability can be transiently depressed even if an action potential fails to evoke release. Here we argue that stochastic fluctuation in the release machinery can give rise to apparent release-independent depression as a result of sampling bias. The relationship between this apparent depression and the interstimulus interval provides a window on the kinetics of state transitions of the release apparatus.

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Figure 1: Apparent release-independent depression observed in CA1 pyramidal neurons, in response to minimal stimulation of Schaffer collaterals (interstimulus interval, 8 ms; details in ref. 13 and Supplementary Data).
Figure 2: Monte Carlo simulations yielding apparent release-independent short-term synaptic depression (details in text).

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to R. Scott and C. Henneberger for comments. Supported by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the European Commission (Eurohead, LSHM-CT-2004-504837).

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  1. Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

    Kirill E Volynski, Dmitri A Rusakov & Dimitri M Kullmann

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  1. Kirill E Volynski
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  2. Dmitri A Rusakov
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  3. Dimitri M Kullmann
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Correspondence to Kirill E Volynski.

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Volynski, K., Rusakov, D. & Kullmann, D. Presynaptic fluctuations and release-independent depression. Nat Neurosci 9, 1091–1093 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1746

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