The role of glutamate in neuronal ion homeostasis: A case study of spreading depolarization
Fig 1
Neurons and synaptic connections.
When a signal travels from the right to the left neuron along the axon, glutamate is released at the dendritic terminals. The terminals are separated from the neighboring neuron by the synaptic cleft. Signal transmission goes via release of the neurotransmitter glutamate. It binds to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron and can initiate new action potentials. The synaptic terminals are located at the dendrites of the receiving neuron. At the same time the right neuron can receive glutamate–mediated signals from other neurons through the dendritic terminals located near its own soma. The inset on the left shows additional details: glutamate is contained in vesicles and in the release process all molecules are released into the cleft at once. The inset on the right shows idealized geometry of the synapse considered in the model.