Kinetic regulation of vesicle endocytosis at synapses.

Studies from a variety of synapses indicate that the time course of endocytosis ranges from less than a second to hundreds of seconds. This raises questions about how the time course of endocytosis is regulated and why different rates of endocytosis are needed. Recent progress sheds light on these issues. Neuronal firing frequency and duration determine the time course of endocytosis. The dynamic nature of this time course could be a result of multiple endocytic pathways and/or of regulation by a variety of modulators. Because endocytosis is crucial for maintaining transmitter release during repetitive stimulation, regulation of endocytosis could thus provide a mechanism by which synaptic plasticity is achieved.