Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
Long-term Potentiation01:25

Long-term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Long-term Potentiation01:35

Long-term Potentiation

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

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A sensitive orange fluorescent calcium ion indicator for imaging neural activity.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Neuropixels Opto: combining high-resolution electrophysiology and optogenetics.

Nature methods·2026
Same author

Topographic structure and function of locus coeruleus norepinephrine neurons.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Functional reorganization of motor cortex connectivity during learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates.

Nature methods·2025
Same author

Neural dynamics outside task-coding dimensions drive decision trajectories through transient amplification.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same journal

Boundary issues for multidimensional frameworks of representation.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Reply to 'Boundary issues for multidimensional frameworks of representation'.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Brain-spleen axis regulates learned fear.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Acetylcholine: a candidate substrate for hippocampal predictive learning?

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Astrocytes viewed through the lens of their proteomes and subproteomes.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

m<sup>6</sup>A in RNA: a key regulator of brain development, function and disease.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Implantation of a Cranial Window for Repeated In Vivo Imaging in Awake Mice
06:33

Implantation of a Cranial Window for Repeated In Vivo Imaging in Awake Mice

Published on: June 22, 2021

Experience-dependent structural synaptic plasticity in the mammalian brain.

Anthony Holtmaat1, Karel Svoboda

  • 1Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Switzerland. anthony.holtmaat@unige.ch

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|August 21, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Adult brain circuits exhibit structural plasticity, with synapses forming and disappearing. Experience shapes these changes in specific neural circuits, revealing dynamic neuronal structures.

More Related Videos

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
11:56

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity

Published on: November 11, 2017

Long-term Potentiation of Perforant Pathway-dentate Gyrus Synapse in Freely Behaving Mice
11:13

Long-term Potentiation of Perforant Pathway-dentate Gyrus Synapse in Freely Behaving Mice

Published on: November 29, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Implantation of a Cranial Window for Repeated In Vivo Imaging in Awake Mice
06:33

Implantation of a Cranial Window for Repeated In Vivo Imaging in Awake Mice

Published on: June 22, 2021

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
11:56

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity

Published on: November 11, 2017

Long-term Potentiation of Perforant Pathway-dentate Gyrus Synapse in Freely Behaving Mice
11:13

Long-term Potentiation of Perforant Pathway-dentate Gyrus Synapse in Freely Behaving Mice

Published on: November 29, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Synaptic plasticity is crucial for adult neural circuits.
  • Structural plasticity, including synapse formation and elimination, is a key component.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent evidence for structural synaptic plasticity in the mammalian cortex.
  • To highlight open questions in the field.

Main Methods:

  • Long-term in vivo imaging studies of neocortical neurons.
  • Analysis of structural dynamics in normal and injured adult brains.

Main Results:

  • While overall neuronal morphology is stable, experience-dependent structural plasticity occurs in specific circuits.
  • Synapse formation and elimination are associated with the appearance and disappearance of boutons and dendritic spines.

Conclusions:

  • Structural plasticity, involving dynamic changes in synapses, is a significant feature of adult mammalian cortical circuits.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand these structural forms of synaptic plasticity.