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Related Concept Videos

Long-term Depression01:03

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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Long-term Depression01:05

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Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
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Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway

Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure to...
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Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
 Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
14:57

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology

Published on: March 23, 2011

The function of the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in brain in vivo and learning ability decrease in parallel in

Blanca Piedrafita1, Omar Cauli, Carmina Montoliu

  • 1Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia, Spain.

Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|April 7, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Aging impairs learning in rats, with older rats requiring more trials to master tasks. This cognitive decline is linked to reduced function in the brain

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Fluorescence and Bioluminescence Imaging of Subcellular Ca2+ in Aged Hippocampal Neurons

Published on: December 1, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Aging Research
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Cognitive impairment is a common consequence of aging.
  • The precise mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline are not fully understood.
  • Previous research linked the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway to learning in young rats.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if learning ability in rats declines with age.
  • To determine if this age-related learning decline is associated with reduced glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway function.
  • To analyze pathway function in vivo in freely moving rats.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a Y-maze conditional discrimination task to assess learning.
  • Compared learning performance between young (3-month-old) and mature (7-month-old) rats.
  • Employed in vivo microdialysis to measure the function of the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway.

Main Results:

  • Seven-month-old rats required significantly more trials (192% +/- 64%) to learn the Y-maze task compared to 3-month-old rats.
  • The function of the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway was reduced by 60% +/- 23% in older rats versus younger rats.
  • A significant correlation was observed between age, learning ability, and pathway function.

Conclusions:

  • Learning ability, specifically in the Y-maze task, decreases with age in rats.
  • Reduced function of the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway is associated with age-related learning deficits.
  • These findings suggest the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway plays a critical role in age-related cognitive decline.