A model of the ribbon synapse was developed to replicate both pre- and postsynaptic functions of this glutamatergic juncture. The presynaptic portion of the model is rich in anatomical and physiological detail and includes multiple release sites for each ribbon based on anatomical studies of presynaptic terminals, presynaptic voltage at the terminal, the activation of voltage-gated calcium channels and a calcium-dependent release mechanism whose rate varies as a function of the calcium concentration that is monitored at two different sites which control both an ultrafast, docked pool of vesicles and a release ready pool of tethered vesicles. See paper for more and details.
Model Type: Synapse
Cell Type(s): Retina ganglion GLU cell; Retina bipolar GLU cell
Currents: I L high threshold
Transmitters: Glutamate
Model Concept(s): Intrinsic plasticity; Calcium dynamics
Simulation Environment: NEURON
Implementer(s): Sikora, Michael [Sikora at umn.edu]
References:
Sikora MA, Gottesman J, Miller RF. (2005). A computational model of the ribbon synapse. Journal of neuroscience methods. 145 [PubMed]