19777383 |
Dunant Y, Bancila V, Cordeiro M: Ultra-fast versus sustained cholinergic transmission: a variety of different mechanisms. J Mol Neurosci. 2010 Jan;40(1-2):27-31. Although synaptic transmission was assumed to use the same mechanisms in the case of different synapses of the central and peripheral nervous system, recent research revealed a great variety of different processes. Time might be a crucial factor to be considered in this diversity. It is recalled that the speed of a chemical reaction is inversely related to affinity. "Time is gained at the expense of sensitivity" as noticed by Bernard Katz (1989). Therefore, synaptic transmission will occur at a high speed only if it is supported by low affinity reactions. In the present work, we compare two examples of ultra-rapid transmission (the Torpedo nerve electroplaque synapse and the rat hippocampus mossy fiber/CA3 synapses), with a cholinergic process operating with high affinity but at a low speed: the release of glutamate elicited by nicotine from mossy fibers of the rat hippocampus. |
31(0,1,1,1) |