Neurotransmission In & Around the Cleft

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Outline

1. Transmitters in and around the cleft

   • Relevance of neurotransmitter concentrations

2. Classical determination of contents of a vesicle

   • Discuss how Stephan Kuffler & Doju Yoshikami determined the number of acetylcholine molecules in a single vesicle

3. Modern assessments of the concentration of transmitter in the synaptic cleft

   • Discuss how the Westbrook lab used pharmacology to determine the time course of glutamate in the synaptic cleft

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Slides

• In & Around the Cleft

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Reading For Class

• The number of transmitter molecules in a quantum: an estimate from iontophoretic application of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular synapse

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• The time course of glutamate in the synaptic cleft

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Extra Reading

• Activation of GABA-A receptors: views from outside the synaptic cleft

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• Extracellular glutamate: functional compartments operate in different concentration ranges