Maria Bykhovskaia
Assistant Professor
Neuroscience

Department of Biological Sciences
Iacocca Hall, Room B-217
111 Research Drive
Bethelehem, PA 18015

C.V.

Research Summary

Neurons communicate with each other through synaptic transmission giving rise to the neuronal networks that underlie brain function. Changes in the effectiveness of synapses represent memory at the cellular level. Synaptic plasticity is the mechanism which enables neuronal networks to store and retrieve information.

Nerve terminals send a signal by secreting packages of neurotransmitter molecules. The process of neurosecretion is highly dynamic and plastic. To understand the functioning of neuronal networks it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of neurosecretion and synaptic plasticity.

Inside the nerve terminals, neurotransmitter molecules are packaged into synaptic vesicles. An important factor for neurosecretion and synaptic plasticity is the pool of vesicles properly activated for transmitter release, the readily releasable pool. We study the mechanisms by which changes in the readily releasable pool of vesicles control transmitter release. We combine electrophysiology detection of release events, optical tracing of presynaptic vesicles, electron microscopy analysis of synaptic ultrastructure, and mathematical modeling of cellular processes.

Recent Publications & Media

Bykhovskaia M., Hackett J.T., Worden M.K. (1999) Asynchrony of quantal events in evoked multiquantal responses. J. Neurophysiol. 81:2234-2242.

Bykhovskaia M., M.K.Worden, and J.T. Hackett. (1999) Presynaptic facilitation: quantal analysis and simulations. Neurocomputing 26-27 : 9-15.

Vorobieva O.N., J.T. Hackett ., M.K.Worden, M. Bykhovskaia. (1999). Evaluation of quantal neurosecretion from evoked and miniature postsynaptic responses by deconvolution method. J. Neurosci. Methods. 92:91-99.

Bykhovskaia M., Worden M.K., Hackett J.T. (2000) Stochastic modeling of facilitated neurosecretion. J. Comput. Neurosci. 8:113-126.

Bykhovskaia M., B.Gelomont, T.R. Globus, D.L.Woolard, A.C.Samuels, T. Ha-Duong, K.Zakzewska. (2001) Calculations of DNA low-frequency absorption spectra. Theoretical Chemistry Accounts. 106:22-27.

Bykhovskaia M., E. Polagaeva. J.T.Hackett. (2001) Hyperosmolarity reduces facilitation by a Ca2+ independent mechanism: possible depletion of the releasable pool. J. Physiol. Lond. 537: 179-190.

Globus T. R., D. L. Woolard, A. C. Samuels, B. L. Gelmont, J. Hesler, T. W. Crowe and M. Bykhovskaia. (2002) Submillimeter-wave transform spectroscopy of biological macromolecules. J. Applied Physics. 91:8105-8113.

Bykhovskaia M., E. Polagaeva. J.T.Hackett. (2002). Effect of Ca2+ on presynaptic facilitation. Neurocomputing. 44-46:1-5.

Woolard D. L., Globus T. R., B. L. Gelmont, M. Bykhovskaia, C. Samuels, D.Cookmeyer, J. Hesler, T. W. Crowe, J.O. Jensen, I.L. Jensen, and W.R.Laerop. (2002) Submillimiter-wave phonon modes in DNA macromolecules. Phys. Rev. E. 65:051903.

Globus T. R. , D. L. Woolard, T. Khromova, T. W. Crowe, M. Bykhovskaia, B. L. Gelmont, J. Hesler, and A. C. Samuels. 2003. Thz-Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules. Journal of Biological Physics. 29: 89-100.

T.Globus, M.Bykhovskaia, D.Woolard, B.Gelmont. 2003. Sub-millimeter wave absorption spectra of artificial RNA molecules. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 36:1314-1322.

Bykhovskaia M. and E. Polagaeva. (2004) Increase in the releasable pool of synaptic vesicles underlies facilitation. Neurocomputing. 58-60C : 69-476.

Bykhovskaia M., E. Polagaeva, and J.T.Hackett (2004) Mechanisms underlying different facilitation forms at the lobster neuromuscular synapse. Brain Research 1019:10-21.

Samigullin D., C.A.Bill, W.L Coleman, and M. Bykhovskaia. 2004. Regulation of transmitter release by synapsin II in mouse motor terminals. J. Physiol. Lond. 561:149-158.

Kapitsky S., L. Zueva, Y.Akbergenova, and M. Bykhovskaia. 2005. Recruitment of synapses in neurosecretory process during long-term facilitation at the lobster neuromuscular junction. Neuroscience. 134:1261-1272.

Bykhovskaia M. 2007. Recruitment of presynaptic vesicles and facilitation of transmitter release. Neurocomputing (In Press).

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