OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
Giant calyx of Held synapses are renowned for delivering spikes with millisecond precision – but so far they were thought to be confined to auditory brainstem circuits. We report a second calyx-like architecture in the rodent extended amygdala that contains glutamate, acetylcholine, and multiple neuropeptides within a single terminal. Originating from the pontine Kölliker–Fuse nucleus, these synapses engage capsular neurons of the central amygdala and oval neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis within minutes of acute hypotension, preceding the slower hypothalamo-pituitary vasopressin response. The discovery (i) expands the calyx concept beyond sensory relays, (ii) links a limbic structure directly to fast sympathetic rescue of blood pressure, and (iii) highlights a multimodal transmitter strategy for integrating visceral and emotional information – insights with potential relevance for stress, cardiovascular function, and affective disorders.