Consequence of morphological alterations on synaptic function

Structural modification of the synapse is a pervasive phenomenon, however, its relation to functional dynamics of the system remains an unexplored res earch area due to technical difficulties both experimentally and computatio nally. The purpose of this study was to mathematically model a hippocampal synapse, incorporating detailed morphological characteristics, to study the functional consequence of structural modifications. We showed that subsyna ptic morphological alterations, as in partitioned synapses, influence synap tic transmission by altering calcium diffusion within the axon terminal, an d hence, the probability of release. Furthermore, the model revealed a nove l concept that functional dynamics can emerge from structural alterations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.