Role of Calcium in Seizure Activity: Difference between revisions
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===Overview of Action Potential and Calcium's Role=== | ===Overview of Action Potential and Calcium's Role=== | ||
Neurons communicate at the chemical synapse. As an action potential, or nerve impulse, travels down the presynaptic axon, it activates voltage gated Calcium channels. The influx of Calcium causes synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron allowing the action potential to continue along the next axon. | |||
[[Image:actionPotential.png|thumb|right|275px| '''Propagation of Action Potential at the Synaptic Cleft''' Voltage gated Calcium channels allow an influx of calcium, releasing neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. Subsequently, upon binding to the postsynaptic neuron, the action potential is propagated.]] | [[Image:actionPotential.png|thumb|right|275px| '''Propagation of Action Potential at the Synaptic Cleft''' Voltage gated Calcium channels allow an influx of calcium, releasing neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. Subsequently, upon binding to the postsynaptic neuron, the action potential is propagated.]] | ||
Revision as of 17:34, 11 May 2008
Sophia Mian & Renuka Ramanathan
Background
Overview of Action Potential and Calcium's Role
Neurons communicate at the chemical synapse. As an action potential, or nerve impulse, travels down the presynaptic axon, it activates voltage gated Calcium channels. The influx of Calcium causes synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron allowing the action potential to continue along the next axon.
Research Proposal
•Currently, there is little information on the role of Calcium in a brain with seizure activity
•Studies have been done showing that a calcium spike is observe in neurons within a seizure model and also that these spikes are not seen in a brain exhibiting normal behavior
•Our goal is to further study the role of Calcium by investigating the influx of Calcium into the pre-synaptic terminal (i.e. is the voltage gated Calcium channel constitutively open?) over time.
•Our methods will include the use of a calcium indicator dye (the same as used in the Okhi article) and two photon microscopy to reveal the presence of Calcium
Methods
References
Two-photon Imaging of Synaptic Plasticity and Pathology in the Living Mouse Brain Grutzendler et. al.
Two-photon microscopy is used to study the neuronal structure of animal models of neurodegeneration, brain injury and cerebrovascular disease
Functional imaging with cellular resolution reveals precise micro-architecture in visual cortex. Ohki et. al.
Employ calcium sensing to reveal the micro-architecture in the visual cortex of the brains of rats and cats
In vivo imaging of seizure activity in a novel developmental seizure model. Hewapathirane et. al.
Characterize an in vivo model of seizures in Xenopus laevis tadpole – allowing direct examination of seizure activist and seizure induced effects on neuronal development
