Spike timing, calcium signals and synaptic plasticity

Plasticity at central synapses depends critically on the timing of presynaptic and postsynaptic action potentials. Key initial steps in synaptic plasticity involve the back-propagation of action potentials into the dendritic tree and calcium influx that depends nonlinearly on the action potential an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current Opinion in Neurobiology 2002-06, Vol.12 (3), p.305-314
Main Authors: Sjöström, Per Jesper, Nelson, Sacha B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
calcium
Calcium Signaling - physiology
Humans
LTD
LTP
memory
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
plasticity
STDP
Synapses - physiology
Synapses - ultrastructure
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Summary:Plasticity at central synapses depends critically on the timing of presynaptic and postsynaptic action potentials. Key initial steps in synaptic plasticity involve the back-propagation of action potentials into the dendritic tree and calcium influx that depends nonlinearly on the action potential and synaptic input. These initial steps are now better understood. In addition, recent studies of processes as diverse as gene expression and channel inactivation suggest that responses to calcium transients depend not only their amplitude, but on their time course and on the location of their origin. Neuronal plasticity is all in the timing. The backpropagation of action potentials and the nature of excitatory postsynaptic potentials subtly regulate calcium dynamics to effect long-term changes.
ISSN:0959-4388
1873-6882
DOI:10.1016/S0959-4388(02)00325-2