Dynamics of constrained Brownian motion of neuro-secretory vesicles. (2011-2013)
Abstract
Despite years of research on brain cell communication, the sequence of molecular events leading a neuron to release its neurotransmitter is far from understood. The interactions underpinning this process are highly dependent on the microenvironment surrounding the vesicles containing the neurotransmitter which has been notoriously hard to assess. We will bridge this gap using new optical methods to simultaneously track active and passive motion of such vesicles to allow full modelling of the vesicle transport and assess for the first time the viscoelastic properties of their immediate microenvironment . This work will give valuable new clues to finally solve the dynamics of molecular interactions underpinning neuronal communication.
