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Pharmacopsychiatry 2010; 43: S42-S49
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1249025
Original Paper

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Evolution of Synapse Models – from Numbers to Networks to Spaces

B. Dulam-Banawa1 , A. Marin-Sanguino2 , E. Mendoza3 , 4
  • 1Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
  • 2Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinstried, Germany
  • 3Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
  • 4Department of Computer Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
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Publication History

Publication Date:
17 May 2010 (online)

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Abstract

We review the evolution of synapse models over the last sixty-five years in terms of the changing paradigms: initially, the synapse was modelled only as part of a neuronal system, both as a number (weight of an edge in a connectionist network) and as a channel in a conductance-based model. With the availability of more structural and kinetic data, it came to be seen as a full-fledged biochemical network, accompanied by a shift from the previous “top-down” approach to a more “bottom-up” network reconstruction. Most recently, the synapse is seen as a geometric 3-dimensional space with various processes driving the dynamics. A particular focus is placed on models of the dopamine synapse and their connections to schizophrenia. The advances of detailed modelling on the synaptic level have highlighted the challenges of integrating the various functional levels, which are tightly coupled with processes on different scales in time and space. On the other hand, this effort will contribute to bridging the currently perceived gap between computational neuroscience and (computational) systems biology.

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Correspondence

Dr. E. Mendoza

Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience

Ludwig-Maximilians-University

Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1

80539 Munich

Germany

Phone: +49/1735729934

Email: mendoza@lmu.de

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