Buffering Calcium Transients in Neurons

神经细胞利用钙离子将电信号转换为 细胞内的生化变化。 电活动原因 细胞内钙的增加。 一旦进入， 钙作为一个信使，携带信息，以各种 细胞内部的一部分 仅在电气 刺激，或在某些病理过程中，是钙 细胞内的浓度升高。 在正常休息状态下 条件下，细胞内钙离子浓度保持非常 通过一系列复杂的途径， cell. 本研究的目的是描述 从神经细胞中去除钙的过程。 的 研究人员有兴趣确定哪些途径 以及钙的相对贡献 随着钙浓度的增加而变化 本研究将 检查钙水平在各种水平的电 活性并定位细胞中的各种钙通道。 神经细胞将在培养物中单独生长，并通过 使用光学和电生理仪器开发 调查员。 这一调查将增加 了解神经细胞如何处理信息， 分子和细胞水平，揭示了药物的新靶点， 深入了解某些神经退行性疾病的机制 钙超载引起的疾病。

Nerve cells utilize calcium ions to convert electrical signals to biochemical changes within the cell. Electrical activity causes an increase of intracellular calcium in the cell. Once inside, calcium acts as a messenger, carrying information to various parts of the cell's interior. Only during electrical stimulation, or during certain pathologies, is the calcium concentration in the cell elevated. Under normal resting conditions, the intracellular calcium concentration is kept very low by a complex series of pathways which pump calcium out of the cell. The purpose of this research is to characterize the processes which remove calcium from nerve cells. The investigator is interested in determining which pathways are present in nerve cells and how calcium's relative contribution changes with the size of a calcium challenge. This study will examine calcium levels during various levels of electrical activity and locate the various calcium pathways in the cell. Nerve cells will be grown individually in culture and examined by using optical and electrophysiological instrumentation developed by the investigator. This inquiry will increase the understanding of how nerve cells process information at the molecular and cellular level, revealing new target for drugs and insight into the mechanisms of certain neurodegenerative disorders caused by calcium overload.