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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Dec 19.
Published in final edited form as: Neuron. 2018 Nov 8;100(6):1401–1413.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.034

Figure 6. Model for adrenergic synaptic transmission at the Merkel cell-neurite complex.

Figure 6.

Touch activates cation influx through Piezo2 channels to depolarize Merkel cells and their afferents. During dynamic stimuli, neuronal Piezo2 stimulates action potential firing. Merkel-cell depolarization results in voltage-dependent calcium channel activation, and SNARE-mediated release of norepinephrine. Norepinephrine binds to β2 adrenergic receptors on SAI afferents, which increases dynamic firing rates and initiates action potentials during static stimulation. See also Figure S6.