Burgoyne Robert D, Barclay Jeff W
Physiological Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, UK L69 3BX.
Trends Neurosci. 2002 Apr;25(4):176-8. doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(00)02126-3.
One of the most enduring central hypotheses in neurobiology has been that neurotransmission is determined by the quantal release of neurotransmitter. An important assumption has been that quantal size (amount of transmitter released per vesicle) is constant. Recent work has established that, for dense-core granules, quantal size can be varied by stimulation frequency, changes in second messenger levels and modification of the proteins of the exocytotic machinery. These data argue against the long-held belief in the universality of the quantal hypothesis, and raise important but controversial questions as to whether the same mechanisms could also regulate release from synaptic vesicles and contribute to synaptic plasticity.
神经生物学中最持久的核心假说之一是神经传递由神经递质的量子释放所决定。一个重要的假设是量子大小（每个囊泡释放的递质数量）是恒定的。最近的研究表明，对于致密核心颗粒，量子大小可通过刺激频率、第二信使水平的变化以及胞吐机制蛋白质的修饰而改变。这些数据与长期以来对量子假说普遍性的信念相悖，并引发了关于相同机制是否也能调节突触囊泡释放并促成突触可塑性的重要但有争议的问题。
