Electrophysiology system to study novel regulators of synaptogenesis

我们的团队已经确定了信号分子，这些信号分子可以快速促进神经元之间新突触接触的形成，并参与调节大脑中现有突触连接的强度。识别和表征脑细胞之间突触连接的经典技术是进行电生理记录，其中将精细的微电极引入细胞中，允许研究者刺激突触前伙伴的神经活动，同时记录突触后伙伴细胞中引起的兴奋性或抑制性电化学反应。Ruthazer实验室在使用这种技术研究大脑突触的发育和可塑性方面已经建立了自己的专业知识，包括与Kennedy实验室的合作研究。然而，目前在实验室中用于这些研究的关键设备在我们两个实验室的众多成员中需求量极大。它已经有近二十年的历史了，而且严重过时——我们现有系统中使用的计算机接口（SCSI）不再得到制造商的支持。该应用程序所要求的设备将使实验室中的关键设备现代化，并确保它将继续用于这一非常有前途的合作以及我们未来多年的整体研究计划。

Our team has identified signaling molecules that rapidly promote the formation of new synaptic contacts between neurons and participate in the modulation of the strengths of existing synaptic connections in the brain. The classic technique for identifying and characterizing synaptic connections between brain cells is to perform electrophysiological recordings in which fine microelectrodes are introduced into the cells to permit the investigator to stimulate neural activity in the pre-synaptic partner while recording excitatory or inhibitory electrochemical responses evoked in the post-synaptic partner cell. The Ruthazer laboratory has established its expertise in using this technique to study the development and plasticity of synapses in the brain, including collaborative studies with the Kennedy laboratory. However, the critical equipment currently used for these studies in the laboratory is in extremely heavy demand by numerous members of both of our laboratories. It is nearly two decades old and seriously out-of-date -- the computer interface (SCSI) used in our existing system is no longer supported by the manufacturer. The equipment requested in this application would modernize this critical equipment in the lab and assure that it will continue to be available for this very promising collaboration as well as our overall research program for many years into the future.