Title: Structural Tuning of Excitatory Neurotransmission
Abstract: Most synapses in the human brain are exquisitely well organized for the release and reception of the neurotransmitter glutamate. At these synapses, AMPA-type glutamate receptors sense glutamate and open an ion channel in response, facilitating the majority of fast, excitatory neurotransmission that allows for information processing, learning, and memory. Signaling through AMPARs is dynamically regulated in response to experience, and dysfunction in AMPAR signaling is increasingly implicated in diverse neurological conditions. In this seminar, we will describe how the critical coupling between glutamate binding and ion channel function can be modulated by small molecules, subunit composition, and conformational heterogeneity. Furthermore, we will explore how the AMPAR synaptic context may modulate receptor behavior, building towards a unified understanding of how the structure of the synapse facilitates reliable transmission.