Local Efficacy of Glutamate Uptake Decreases with Synapse Size

Abstract

Herde et al. demonstrate a dependence of the local efficacy of glutamate uptake at glutamatergic synapses on spine size. As predicted by the relative astrocytic coverage of spines, extracellular glutamate transients and Ca2+ entry through glutamate receptors are less strongly controlled by glutamate uptake at large than at small spines.