• Login as Editor
    View Item 
    •   Yeshiva Academic Institutional Repository
    • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM)
    • Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Doctoral Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Yeshiva Academic Institutional Repository
    • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM)
    • Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Doctoral Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    The role of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors in synaptic transmission and plasticity

    Thumbnail
    Date
    2009
    Author
    Harris, Alexander Z.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Receptors located outside of the synapse are a ubiquitous but poorly understood feature of the nervous system. In this thesis, I investigate the sub-cellular distribution of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), a molecule critical for neural function, and explore the role extrasynaptic receptors play in neural communication. I have found that in hippocampal slices, extrasynaptic receptors represent a third of dendritic NMDARs, whose subunit composition is comparable to synaptic NMDARs. Furthermore, contrary to prior reports, these receptors form a stable non-mobile pool. Nonetheless, these receptors regularly participate in neural communication, augmenting synaptic strength in response to repetitive presynaptic activation. To test the effect of extrasynaptic NMDARs on plasticity, I took advantage of the fact that different types of physiologic bursts activate varying amounts of extrasynaptic NMDARs. I therefore incorporated these bursts into stimulation parameters for the induction of plasticity. I also measured the calcium flux that enters the cell during plasticity-induction protocols designed to recruit different amount of extrasynaptic NMDARs. Contrary to predictions based on previous work, I find that extrasynaptic receptors do not prevent LTP. Instead, I find that extrasynaptic NMDARs contribute a crucial component to the calcium signal necessary for the induction of plasticity.
    Permanent Link(s)
    https://yulib002.mc.yu.edu/login?url=http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3312072
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12202/968
    Collections
    • Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Doctoral Dissertations [1674]

    Yeshiva University Libraries copyright © 2021  DuraSpace
    YAIR Self-Deposit | YAIR User's Guide | Take Down Policy | Contact Us
    Yeshiva University
     

     

    Browse

    AllCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Login as Editor

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Yeshiva University Libraries copyright © 2021  DuraSpace
    YAIR Self-Deposit | YAIR User's Guide | Take Down Policy | Contact Us
    Yeshiva University