How to determine whether a drug's effect is presynaptic or postsynaptic?

The straightforward way to do this would be to record mEPSCs pre and post-drug. Then analyze your responses for changes in frequency or amplitude. Changes in frequency are usually reflective of a presynaptic effect, while amplitude changes are more postsynaptic. If you have changes in both then it’s likely that your drug has a mixed pre/post-synaptic influence.

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