Dynamic assembly of ribbon synapses and circuit maintenance in a vertebrate sensory system

Abstract

Ribbon synapses in our sensory nervous system are central to hearing and sight, yet little is known about how these synapses are assembled and maintained during development. In this study, authors use live imaging techniques to monitor ribbon appearance, loss and maintenance in a retinal circuit during development to show that nascent synapses comprising of both ribbons and PSD95 are more stable over time compared to contacts without ribbons.