Synapses are anatomical specializations at the interface of two neurons. They have fascinated researchers ever since Sherrington coined the term 'synapse, in 1879. Studies of synapses have provided amazing insight into their function and were boosted by the discovery, now more than 30 years ago, that synapses can undergo long-term activity-dependent plasticity. Over the last two decades much effort has been devoted to the study of long-term synaptic plasticity as a candidate mechanism underlying learning and memory. More recently dysfunctional synaptic plasticity has been implicated in several brain diseases, such as depression, addiction, dementia and anxiety disorders. Here we report on an international meeting that took place in Geneva in July 2008 that brought together
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