Mathematical Models of Protein Receptor Trafficking and Its Role in Synaptic Plasticity

  • Date: 03/19/2007
Lecturer(s):

Paul Bressloff (University of Utah)

Location: 

University of British Columbia

Topic: 

AMPA receptors mediate the majority of fast excitatory synaptic
transmission in the central nervous system, and recent experimental
evidence suggests that AMPA receptor trafficking regulates synaptic
strength, a phenomenon implicated in learning and memory. There are two
major mechanisms of AMPA receptor trafficking: exo/endocytic exchange
of surface receptors with intracellular receptor pools, and lateral
diffusion of surface receptors within the plasma membrane. In this talk
we review some mathematical models of these trafficking mechanisms, and
show how they can account for a variety of physiological data regarding
plasticity at the single-synapse and multi-synapse levels.

Paul Bressloff is a Professor of Mathematics and a member of the
Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience at the University of Utah.
His research interests include mathematical modelling of primary visual
cortex, geometric visual hallucinations, synaptic plasticity,
travelling waves in excitable neural media, and the dynamics of coupled
oscillators.

Other Information: 

IAM - PIMS - MITACS
DISTINGUISHED COLLOQUIUM SERIES

Sponsor: 

iampimsmitacs