Super-Resolution Microscopy of Functional Synaptic Vesicle Pools

Neurotransmitter release from presynaptic vesicles at the synapse allows neurons to communicate in the brain. However the detailed spatial arrangement of different functional types of synaptic vesicles within the synapse remains unknown. We will use state-of-the-art super-resolution microscopy, including multi-colour, live and 3D STORM/STED microscopy, together with developing new analytical approaches, to address this question. We will then use these approaches to image changes occurring during synapse development, in response to neuronal activity and when key synaptic proteins are perturbed.