Focal Stimulation of Single Visual Terminals: A Powerful New Technique for Investigating Synaptic Mechanisms

The human brain contains approximately 100000000000000 synapses. Their vast, intricate pattern encodes our memories, and their functional interconnections give rise to our thoughts and feelings. One of the major challenges in neuroscience is to understand how individual synapses work. The central objective of this project is to investigate the mechanisms of synaptic transmission. Novel techniques will be employed to investigate the functional properties of single synaptic terminals, and how drugs alter these properties. Ultimately, this work will provide insights into neurological disease, and helps us understand how drugs interact with the brain.