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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
Published on: November 11, 2017
Local plasticity underlies the reorganization of cortical circuit dynamics during motor learning
William J Wright1, Emma Chih-Ying Chen1, Boyang Zhou1
1Department of Neurobiology, University of California, San Deigo, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Deigo, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Abstract:
During learning, neural circuits reorganize to encode new information and adapt behavioral responses. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent plasticity is thought to underlie this process by reshaping neural circuits to transform their activity. However, the activity changes of a circuit may arise from plasticity within the circuit, or they may be inherited from plasticity occurring in upstream areas. Therefore, the precise role of plasticity within a brain area in reorganizing the activity of the neural circuit and how this contributes to behavioral adaptation remains unclear. Using an optical tool to block CaMKII-dependent plasticity in pyramidal neurons in combination with in vivo two-photon population imaging, we found that local plasticity within the primary motor cortex (M1) is necessary for the acquisition of stable, stereotyped movements during motor learning. Furthermore, local plasticity also underlies the emergence of reproducible spatiotemporal activity patterns within M1 that reliably encode movements. These results demonstrate a critical role for local plasticity in reorganizing the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural circuits during learning.
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