Bennett Michael V L, Zukin R Suzanne
Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Neuron. 2004 Feb 19;41(4):495-511. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(04)00043-1.
Certain neurons in the mammalian brain have long been known to be joined by gap junctions, which are the most common type of electrical synapse. More recently, cloning of neuron-specific connexins, increased capability of visualizing cells within brain tissue, labeling of cell types by transgenic methods, and generation of connexin knockouts have spurred a rapid increase in our knowledge of the role of gap junctions in neural activity. This article reviews the many subtleties of transmission mediated by gap junctions and the mechanisms whereby these junctions contribute to synchronous firing.
长期以来，人们一直知道哺乳动物大脑中的某些神经元通过缝隙连接相连，缝隙连接是最常见的电突触类型。最近，神经元特异性连接蛋白的克隆、脑组织内细胞可视化能力的提高、通过转基因方法对细胞类型的标记以及连接蛋白基因敲除的产生，促使我们对缝隙连接在神经活动中的作用的认识迅速增加。本文综述了由缝隙连接介导的传递的诸多微妙之处，以及这些连接促进同步放电的机制。
