title: The ubiquitous nature of multivesicular release.
abstract: 'Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability' (E.W. Dijkstra [1]) Presynaptic action potentials trigger the fusion of vesicles to release neurotransmitter onto postsynaptic neurons. Each release site was originally thought to liberate at most one vesicle per action potential in a probabilistic fashion, rendering synaptic transmission unreliable. However, the simultaneous release of several vesicles, or multivesicular release (MVR), represents a simple mechanism to overcome the intrinsic unreliability of synaptic transmission. MVR was initially identified at specialized synapses but is now known to be common throughout the brain. MVR determines the temporal and spatial dispersion of transmitter, controls the extent of receptor activation, and contributes to adapting synaptic strength during plasticity and neuromodulation. MVR consequently represents a widespread mechanism that extends the dynamic range of synaptic processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. Electronic address: stephanie_rudolph@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Ming-Chi
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: The Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von Gersdorff
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. Electronic address: jwadiche@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Jacques I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Wadiche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents