Although inhibitory synapses are only a small fraction of all the connections present in the nervous system, without them brains cannot function and animals die. A large majority of inhibitory synapses are mediated by chloride currents that flow through the cell membrane when the synapses are activated. The objective of this project is to quantify the effects of changes in chloride concentration inside cells on the strength of inhibitory synapses. For this purpose a genetically encoded molecule, designed at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, will be expressed in Purkinje cells in the cerebellum at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). These cells are involved in motor control and learning. These changes will be measured with a state-of-the art microscope at UTSA, and the results will be shared with collaborators at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. In collaboration, the UTSA and German teams will develop computer models that will be used to predict the behavior of inhibitory synapses on Purkinje cells during complex sensory and motor tasks. These models will be used to determine how the cerebellar cortex processes motor and sensory information under conditions in which chloride changes due to the complex structure of neurons or due to changes in the metabolism of cells. The results obtained from this project will determine how changes in chloride concentration contribute to the normal functioning of the brain. Furthermore, the education of students at UTSA, a minority serving institution, will be enhanced and enriched by offering opportunities to do collaborative research with German Universities.
A companion project is being funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
