Detecting Spillover: A dynamical systems modeling approach to glutamatergic synaptic signaling

The connectivity of neurons in the hippocampus depends in part on whether neurotransmitter from one release site can leak out and activate receptors in another synapse or extrasynaptic patch. The existence of such 'spillover' is under debate in the neuroscience community, since direct measurements of neurotranmitter in such detail cannot, as of yet, be made. Experimental evidence of spillover is thus indirect, and should be sifted through as many different filters as possible. In this talk I present the contributions of dynamical systems modeling to this effort.