Topic: synaptic ultrastructure

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a developmental disorder of the cerebral cortex and a main cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in children. A loss of the excitation and inhibition (E/I) balance has emerged as a key feature for neuronal hyperexcitability, underlying the pathogenesis of seizures. However, it remains unclear how synaptic ultrastructure is altered in the human patients with FCD. Here we performed morphological analyses on the synaptic density, shape, and distribution of intrasynaptic organelles in the temporal cortical layer III of a FCD patient using 3D electron microscopy. Our qu

Torpor is a controlled and reversible state characterized by lowered metabolic rate and body temperature. In ground squirrels, torpor induces dendritic spine retraction and re-localization of synaptic proteins, which restore upon arousal (von der Ohe et al., 2007). The emergence from torpor is followed by increased sleep slow-wave activity (SWA), a well-established marker of sleep pressure. Our study aims to elucidate the structural and molecular effects of torpor and subsequent sleep in Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), a species exhibiting daily torpor in response to a shortened photo