synapses that silence neurons. Using a combination of electrophysiology to measure synaptic function and nanoscale measurements of synaptic structure, her team has shown that estrogen suppresses the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters, and that this occurs by regulating vesicles at inhibitory synapses (vesicles being the membranes that contain neurotransmitters).

And once again, there was an additional, surprising finding, says Dr. Woolley. Estrogen receptors are typically found in the cell nucleus where they regulate the expression of genes, a relatively slow mechanism to change brain function. Her group found that these receptors also are located on vesicles at inhibitory synapses and that estrogen mobilizes these vesicles toward synapses. The synaptic location of estrogen receptors shows that the effects of this hormone in the brain can be targeted to individual synapses, fine-tuning how neurons communicate, and on a much more rapid time scale then previously appreciated. The estrogen regulation of neurotransmitter vesicles points to novel targets for anti-epilepsy therapies.

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Contact: Marla Paul
marla-paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
30-Apr-2007


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