Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026
05:01
Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Published on: September 20, 2024
Hearing it again and again: on-line subcortical plasticity in humans
1Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America. eeskoe@northwestern.edu
Plos One
|November 5, 2010
Summary
Human brainstem responses show enhanced sensitivity to repeating sounds over time. This study demonstrates real-time subcortical plasticity, highlighting the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Human Brainstem Activity
Background:
- Human brainstem activity is sensitive to local sound statistics.
- Repetitive auditory stimuli elicit enhanced brainstem responses compared to random stimuli.
- This study investigates the short-term time course of this enhancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that subcortical repetition enhancement develops over time.
- To examine the interaction between local and global sound statistics in auditory processing.
- To demonstrate on-line subcortical plasticity in humans.
Main Methods:
- Recorded auditory brainstem responses in young adults.
- Presented a five-note melody with a repeated note.
- Monitored response changes over 1.5 hours.
Main Results:
- A robust time-dependent enhancement was observed for the locally repeating note.
- A weaker enhancement was found for the globally repeating melody pattern.
- These findings indicate a time-dependent plasticity in the human auditory brainstem.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of on-line subcortical plasticity in humans.
- Results suggest continuous monitoring of auditory input to enhance responses to salient features.
- The findings contribute to understanding statistical learning and auditory object formation.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
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.
00:58Plasticity
Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...
01:35Long-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.
01:25Long-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...
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...