Neuroscientists were skeptical that a structure as delicate as a synaptosome could be perforated to yield a stable, homogeneous preparation that would demonstrate nerve ending neuro-transmitter release characteristics, but such a preparation was achieved in the late '80s. These preparations now are well characterized with respect to basic release parameters. The results clearly demonstrate that the release machinery is not damaged by perforation because release characteristics are very similar to those occurring in vivo . Therefore, perforated synaptosomes are an excellent model system to bypass the nerve ending membrane and directly investigate molecular components of the release mechanism. This is the preparation we use to study neurotransmitter release.
Neurotransmitter release is the most basic mechanism underlying neural function.
Evidence demonstrating roles for neuro- transmitter release in learning and memory emphasizes the central position of this process in brain function, and decreasing effectiveness of learning and memory are hallmarks of the aging process in many people. Therefore, understanding neuro-transmitter release is a challenge with tremendous theoretical and practical consequences.