Süudhof Thomas C
Department of Neuroscience and Molecular Genetics, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2008(184):1-21. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-74805-2_1.
Neurons send out a multitude of chemical signals, called neurotransmitters, to communicate between neurons in brain, and between neurons and target cells in the periphery. The most important of these communication processes is synaptic transmission, which accounts for the ability of the brain to rapidly process information, and which is characterized by the fast and localized transfer of a signal from a presynaptic neuron to a postsynaptic cell. Other communication processes, such as the modulation of the neuronal state in entire brain regions by neuromodulators, provide an essential component of this information processing capacity. A large number of diverse neurotransmitters are used by neurons, ranging from classical fast transmitters such as glycine and glutamate over neuropeptides to lipophilic compounds and gases such as endocannabinoids and nitric oxide. Most of these transmitters are released by exocytosis, the i.e. the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane, which exhibits distinct properties for different types of neurotransmitters. The present chapter will provide an overview of the process of neurotransmitter release and its historical context, and give a reference point for the other chapters in this book.
神经元会发出大量被称为神经递质的化学信号，用于在大脑中的神经元之间，以及神经元与外周的靶细胞之间进行通信。这些通信过程中最重要的是突触传递，它是大脑快速处理信息能力的基础，其特点是信号从突触前神经元快速且局部地传递到突触后细胞。其他通信过程，例如神经调质对整个脑区神经元状态的调节，也是这种信息处理能力的重要组成部分。神经元会使用大量不同的神经递质，从经典的快速递质如甘氨酸和谷氨酸，到神经肽，再到亲脂性化合物和气体，如内源性大麻素和一氧化氮。这些递质大多通过胞吐作用释放，即分泌囊泡与质膜融合，不同类型的神经递质的胞吐作用具有不同的特性。本章将概述神经递质释放的过程及其历史背景，并为本书的其他章节提供一个参考点。
