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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Inducing Plasticity of Astrocytic Receptors by Manipulation of Neuronal Firing Rates
Published on: March 20, 2014
G protein-coupled receptors control NMDARs and metaplasticity in the hippocampus
John F MacDonald1, Michael F Jackson, Michael A Beazely
1Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. j.macdonald@utoronto.ca
Abstract:
Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are the major forms of functional synaptic plasticity observed at CA1 synapses of the hippocampus. The balance between LTP and LTD or "metaplasticity" is controlled by G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) whose signal pathways target the N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) subtype of excitatory glutamate receptor. We discuss the protein kinase signal cascades stimulated by Galphaq and Galphas coupled GPCRs and describe how control of NMDAR activity shifts the threshold for the induction of LTP.
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