In the context of short-term plasticity what causes facilitation?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Reframing the question to focus on short-term plasticity, specifically facilitation, helps organize the options.
Option 1: 'Calcium entry into the presynaptic terminal' – this is the classic mechanism behind facilitation. When a rapid sequence of action potentials arrives, residual calcium in the presynaptic terminal raises the probability of vesicle release on subsequent spikes, enhancing synaptic transmission.
Option 2: 'Sodium entry into the postsynaptic terminal' – postsynaptic sodium influx is primarily associated with generating postsynaptic potentials, not with presynaptic mechanisms of short-term facilitation. It does not account for increased neurotransmitter release probability in the presynaptic terminal.
Option 3: 'Calcium entry into the postsynaptic terminal' – while calcium in the postsynaptic neuron can influence downstream signaling and plasticity, facilitation as a short-term presynaptic process is driven by calcium dynamics in the presynaptic terminal, not the postsynaptic side.
Option 4: 'Sodium entry into the presynaptic terminal' – presynaptic sodium currents are more related to action potential propagation and repolarization dynamics, not the key driver of short-term facilitation, which hinges on calcium dependent vesicle release probability.
In summary, the facilitation phenomenon is best explained by presynaptic calcium dynamics, whereas the other options describe processes that do not directly cause the rapid, activity-dependent increase in neurotransmitter release associated with short-term facilitation.

NEUR20001_2025_SM2 Assessment for Workshop 9 - neural plasticity and glia

In the context of short-term plasticity what causes facilitation?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

What is the effect of the Stau2 protein?

In Aplysia, long-term sensitisation differs from short-term sensitisation primarily because it:

Which statement best describes spike-timing–dependent plasticity (STDP) and its primary cellular mechanism?

Which of the following best characterizes the canonical mechanism of NMDA receptor–dependent long-term depression (LTD) in hippocampal CA1 neurons?

Which of the following statements about the plasticity of synapses in the mammalian CNS is false?

Which of the following adaptations is most likely in a cholinergic synapse in which there is progressive degeneration of the presynaptic terminal?

Long-term potentiation is associated with the movement of __ to the _.

Long term potentiation refers to

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler

NEUR20001_2025_SM2 Assessment for Workshop 9 - neural plasticity and glia

In the context of short-term plasticity what causes facilitation?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

What is the effect of the Stau2 protein?

In Aplysia, long-term sensitisation differs from short-term sensitisation primarily because it:

Which statement best describes spike-timing–dependent plasticity (STDP) and its primary cellular mechanism?

Which of the following best characterizes the canonical mechanism of NMDA receptor–dependent long-term depression (LTD) in hippocampal CA1 neurons?

Which of the following statements about the plasticity of synapses in the mammalian CNS is false?

Which of the following adaptations is most likely in a cholinergic synapse in which there is progressive degeneration of the presynaptic terminal?

Long-term potentiation is associated with the movement of ________ to the _______.

Long term potentiation refers to

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Making Your Study Simpler

Long-term potentiation is associated with the movement of __ to the _.