Science Scribbler: Synapse Safari

Our brains have tens of billions of neurons connected with each other. Most of these connections were made during the first few years of our lives. By studying this developing era, we can learn a lot about how we behave and think, as well as how neurodevelopment disorders like autism and epilepsy happen.

In this project, we are exploring the hippocampus, the hub for memory and learning in the brain. We already understand quite a bit about the hippocampus, like its main pathways of information flow, and how it connects with other regions of the brain. However, there are still a ton of details to uncover! They lie in sub-cellular structures such as the synapse, which is the junction between two neurons.

As synapses are small and numerous, it's been difficult studying the organelles within them, which is why we need your help! We will be searching in the synaptic boutons (the small swellings at the end of a neuron that makes contact with another neuron) for the mitochondria and synaptic vesicles together. The distribution and shapes of these organelles will help us understand a little better how the neuronal connections are functioning in the brain.