Calyx of Held Calyx of Held The Calyx of Held is a particularly large synapse in the mammalian auditory central nervous system, so named by Hans Held in his 1893 article "Die centrale Gehörleitung" because of its resemblance to the calyx of a flower. Globular bushy cells in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) send axons to the contralateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), where they synapse via these calyces on MNTB principal cells. These principal cells then project to the ipsilateral lateral superior olive (LSO), where they inhibit postsynaptic neurons and provide a basis for interaural level detection (ILD), required for
Calyx of Held calcium into the mitochondria, and providing energy for glutamate synthesis. Various glial cells are also associated with the calyx of Held. Two types of glial cells surround the calyx: astrocytes and NG glial cells. The astrocytes express glutamate transporters to remove glutamate from the synapse. This is the only known mechanism for removal of glutamate from the synapse. The NG glial cells express AMPA receptors. At postnatal day two (P2), the immature calyx of Held is formed, easily distinguished by its characteristic sealed-spoon morphology. The primary synaptic contacts that form the calyx are assembled between neurons of the MNTB (medial