Synaptic transmission

Optogenetics captures synaptic transmission in live mammalian brain for the first time

Could significantly expand our knowledge of connectivity between various types of neurons as a more realistic alternative to in vitro studies

December 26, 2014

A reconstruction of a pair of synaptically connected neurons (credit: Aurélie Pala/EPFL)

EPFL scientists Aurélie Pala and Carl Petersen have observed and measured synaptic transmission in a live animal for the first time, using optogenetics* to stimulate single neurons in the mouse barrel cortex (which processes sensory information from the mouse’s whiskers)./.../