James, Ben, Seibel, Sofie-Helene, Darnet, Lea Simone Adele, Lagnado, Leon and Moya Diaz, Jose (2019) An amplitude code transmits information at a visual synapse. Nature Neuroscience. ISSN 1097-6256 (Accepted)

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Abstract

Most neurons transmit information digitally using spikes that trigger release of synaptic vesicles with low probability. The first stages of vision and hearing are distinct in operating with analogue signals, but it is unclear how these are recoded for synaptic transmission. By imaging the release of glutamate in live zebrafish, we demonstrate that ribbon synapses of retinal bipolar cells encode contrast through changes in both the frequency and amplitude of release events. Higher contrasts caused multiple vesicles to be released within an event, and such coding by amplitude often continued after the rate code had reached a maximum frequency. Glutamate packets equivalent to five vesicles transmitted four times as many bits of information per vesicle compared to those released individually. By discretizing analogue signals into sequences of numbers up to about eleven, ribbon synapses can increase the dynamic range, temporal precision and efficiency with which visual information is transmitted.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Neuroscience
Research Centres and Groups:	Sussex Neuroscience
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology > QP0351 Neurophysiology and neuropsychology > QP0361 Nervous system > QP0364 Synapses
Depositing User:	Leon Lagnado
Date Deposited:	03 Apr 2019 14:01
Last Modified:	03 Apr 2019 14:01
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/82972

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