The spatio-temporal organization of neurotransmitter receptors in the postsynaptic membrane is crucial for synaptic transmission and brain information processing. Ionotropic AMPA glutamate receptors (AMPARs) mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the CNS . Using high-resolution single molecule imaging and tracking, we’ve found that AMPA Rs continuously enter and exit the post-synaptic density through lateral diffusion, challenging the belief that they are stable in the synapse. A subset of AMPA Rs clusters into nanodomains, suggesting that glutamatergic transmission is regulated at the nanoscale. AMPAR mobility, influenced by neuronal activity and receptor conformation, controls both long-term and short-term synaptic plasticity. We present new experiments on how transmitter release, AMPAR desensitization, and surface diffusion contribute to high-frequency dependent short-term plasticity, highlighting the role of AMPAR surface diffusion in synaptic potentiation and information processing.

• Speaker: Dr Daniel Choquet - University of Bordeux Institute for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience and the Bordeaux Imaging Center
• Monday 16 September 2024, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom, link:https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/94686992877?pwd=Q0VlRmFsRXNta0ZJMVhlRnZqNEs3QT09.
• Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.