title: Synaptic vesicles: half full or half empty?
abstract: The regulation of quantal size through pre- rather than postsynaptic mechanisms has recently received considerable attention as a potential mechanism for plasticity. Vesicular transporters catalyze the filling of synaptic vesicles with transmitter and are thus potential substrates for such presynaptic regulation. In this issue of Neuron, Prado et al. pursue this line of investigation and show that changes in transporter expression that alter quantal size can affect behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, 600 16th Street, GH-N272B, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Hnasko
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins