Electrophysiology system to study novel regulators of synaptogenesis

我们的团队已经确定了快速促进神经元之间新突触接触形成的信号分子，并参与调节大脑中现有突触连接的强度。 用于识别和表征脑细胞之间的突触连接的经典技术是进行电生理记录，其中将精细微电极引入细胞中以允许研究者刺激突触前伴侣中的神经活动，同时记录突触后伴侣细胞中诱发的兴奋性或抑制性电化学反应。 Ruthazer实验室已经建立了使用这种技术研究大脑突触发育和可塑性的专业知识，包括与肯尼迪实验室的合作研究。 然而，目前在实验室中用于这些研究的关键设备是我们两个实验室的许多成员的需求非常大。 它已经有将近20年的历史了，而且已经严重过时-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。 本申请中要求的设备将使实验室中的这一关键设备现代化，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 It is nearly two decades old and seriously out-of-date -- the computer interface (SCSI) used in our existing system is no longer supported by the manufacturer.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.