Mechanisms and Properties of Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity in the Brain:Relationships to Learning and Memory

摘要

Functional and structural changes in synapses, specific regions for communicationbetween nerve cells, are thought to be the basis for storing information, and modulating neuronal behavior. This continuous remodeling is defined as synaptic plasticity. The process of learning involves stable changes in synaptic efficacy. Long-term potentiation in the hippocampus and long-term depression in the cerebellum are two forms of long-lasting synaptic plasticity that currently serve as our primary experimental models of learning and memory formation. In recent years, there have been considerable advances in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these forms of synaptic plasticity. This report presents an overview of these developments, considers the relationship of long-term synaptic plasticity mechanisms to learning and memory in view of these developments, and suggests future directions for research in this rapidly growing area of neuroscience. Amongst these proposals, any artificial neuronal network model should contain elements that imitate the use-dependent increase (or decrease) of synaptic efficiency.