Venkatesh Murthy

..Motivated by the experimental possibilities inherent in using such a well-established model organism, we have characterized fertilization-induced calcium dynamics in C. elegans...

..Sensitive detection of exocytosis and endocytosis at individual synapses has advanced our knowledge of synaptic vesicle trafficking...

..Experiments and theory that relate the properties of odorant receptors to the detailed wiring diagram of the downstream olfactory circuits and to behaviors they trigger may reveal the design principles that have emerged during evolution...

..Focusing our attention on the presynaptic terminal, we review the current understanding of how synaptic morphology is maintained and then the mechanisms in synaptic vesicle exocytosis and recycling...

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..Recent studies have shed light on what triggers homeostatic synaptic plasticity, whether or not it is distinct from other forms of synaptic plasticity and whether or not it occurs in the intact brain...

..Our results highlight the differences between global and selective suppression of activity, as well as those between early and late manipulation of activity...

..This suggests that AFD encodes a direct comparison between T(amb) and T(cult)...

..We propose that while Rab3a preferentially associates with recycling synaptic vesicles and modulates their trafficking, Rab5a is largely excluded from recycling vesicles...

..In sum, our data indicate that dynamin is essential for all forms of compensatory synaptic vesicle endocytosis including any kiss-and-run events...

..We conclude that, at presynaptic terminals in the hippocampus, most vesicles vacate release sites after exocytosis and are replaced by existing vesicles from the reserve pool, placing constraints on kiss-and-run recycling...

..Such compensatory experience-dependent changes may represent a mechanism of sensory gain control...

..Our studies provide new information on the kinetics of actin turnover in spines, its regulation by neural activity and the mechanisms involved in this regulation...

..Our data indicate that the serotonergic system regulates odor inputs in the olfactory bulb and suggest that behavioral states may alter odor processing at the earliest stages...

..Our demonstration of simultaneous high temporal and spatial resolution recording, as well as mapping of functional connectivity, suggest that NWFETs can become a powerful platform for studying neural circuits in the brain...

..The observed short-term plasticity could enable mitral cells to overcome autoinhibition and increase action potential propagation along lateral dendrites by burst firing...

..This technique can be easily adapted to study different classes of synapses from wild-type and mutant mice. Once cultured neurons expressing synaptopHluorin are available, the whole procedure should take about 2 h...

..Since synaptic transmission is adversely affected in many disorders of the nervous system, a better understanding of synaptic release mechanisms will provide a rational basis for treatment. ..

..These experiments will elucidate fundamental presynaptic mechanisms of vesicle traffic in GABAergic synapses and how they are altered by activity. ..

..More generally, our studies also have direct implications for human health, since olfactory deficits have also been strongly associated with aging and some neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. ..