Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Improved Preparation and Preservation of Hippocampal Mouse Slices for a Very Stable and Reproducible Recording of Long-term Potentiation
Published on: June 26, 2013
Regulation of synaptic responses to high-frequency stimulation and LTP by neurotrophins in the hippocampus
A Figurov1, L D Pozzo-Miller, P Olafsson
1Roche Institue of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey 07110, USA.
Abstract:
Neurotrophins promote neuronal survival and differentiation, but the fact that their expression is modified by neuronal activity, suggests a role in regulating synapse development and plasticity. In developing hippocampus, the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB increases in parallel with the ability to undergo long-term potentiation (LTP). Here we report a mechanism by which BDNF modulates hippocampal LTP. Exogenous BDNF promoted the induction of LTP by tetanic stimulation in young (postnatal day 12-13) hippocampal slices, which in the absence of BDNF show only short-term potentiation (STP). This effect was due to an enhanced ability of hippocampal synapses to respond to tetanic stimulation, rather than to a direct modulation of the LTP-triggering mechanism. A TrkB-IgG fusion protein, which scavenges endogenous BDNF, reduced the synaptic responses to tetanus as well as the magnitude of LTP in adult hippocampus. Our results suggest that BDNF may regulate LTP in developing and adult hippocampus by enhancing synaptic responses to tetanic stimulation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Long-term Potentiation
Long-term Depression
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
Long-term Potentiation
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Long-term Depression
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over time, all...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

