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Neuroplasticity

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 Potentiation

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
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Long-term Potentiation

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.

Plasticity

Plasticity

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...

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

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.
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Chemical Synapses

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity

Published on: May 18, 2020

Heterosynaptic plasticity: multiple mechanisms and multiple roles.

Marina Chistiakova¹, Nicholas M Bannon¹, Maxim Bazhenov²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.

The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry

|April 15, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic plasticity, crucial for learning, includes homosynaptic and heterosynaptic forms. Both are essential for neural system stability and function, balancing synaptic changes.

Keywords:

heterosynaptic plasticity neocortex neuron model runaway dynamics synaptic plasticity weight normalization

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Synaptic plasticity is a fundamental property of neuronal communication.
It manifests in diverse forms, regulated by various molecular mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To differentiate between two primary forms of synaptic plasticity: homosynaptic and heterosynaptic.
To elucidate their distinct induction requirements, computational roles, and necessity in neural systems.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of homosynaptic and heterosynaptic plasticity.
Examination of their induction criteria (presynaptic activity dependence).
Evaluation of their functional roles in learning and network dynamics.

Main Results:

Homosynaptic plasticity is input-specific, activity-dependent, and follows Hebbian rules, mediating associative learning.
Heterosynaptic plasticity can be induced by postsynaptic activity, affecting inactive synapses and providing network stability.
Both forms operate on similar timescales but possess distinct computational properties.

Conclusions:

Homosynaptic and heterosynaptic plasticity are complementary mechanisms.
Both are indispensable for the balanced and stable operation of neural systems with plastic synapses.