Nhu Phan
The aim of this project is to develop a kinetic model of neurotransmitter release and its short-term plasticity, which is constrained by the wealth of findings that have accumulated over the last 15 years of experimentation at the Calyx of Held. Once the model is consolidated, predictions can be made for short-term plasticity behavior of unperturbed nerve terminals, as elicited by afferent fiber stimulation. Another aim is to demonstrate that the core structure of the model can also be used to describe similar data from other glutamatergic synapses, including hippocampal synapses in culture, as used in this CRC.