Synaptic Integration at Neuron-OPC Synapses

The synapses between neurons and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in the central nervous system (CNS) have similar ultrastructures as neuron-neuron synapses and follow the quantal transmission rule. Since OPCs have highly ramified processes, each single OPC can receive up to 100 synaptic contacts with neighboring axons. Therefore, addressing how OPCs integrate synaptic inputs from different axons will significantly advance our understanding of the functional implication of these synapses. This chapter describes experimental and computational methodologies to investigate synaptic integration in OPCs. As neuronal activity-induced downstream signaling often occurs locally within the thin processes of OPCs, we will emphasize the methods to explore how OPCs integrate synaptic inputs within local compartments of the thin processes.