Rapid CNS homeostasis

Neurotransmitter receptor perturbation induces homeostatic modulation of neurotransmitter release on a time a time scale of minutes at neuromuscular synapses (Delvendahl & Müller, 2019). By contrast, homeostatic plasticity stabilizes mammalian central nervous system (CNS) function on time scales of hours to days. It had remained elusive if rapid forms of homeostatic plasticity balance information transfer within mammalian CNS circuits.

The major aim of this project is to identify mechanisms that stabilize CNS circuit function on rapid time scales.

We recently uncovered that cerebellar synapses in acute mouse brain slices stabilize synaptic transmission within minutes upon activity perturbation (Delvendahl et al., 2019). This is achieved through homeostatic control of presynaptic exocytosis. We are currently investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying this rapid form of homeostatic plasticity. Moreover, we explore the role of homeostatic plasticity in cerebellar circuit function and animal behavior.