Synaptic Plasticity and Memory Formation

Abstract

Work described in past progress reports led to the conclusion that the postsynaptic glutamate receptors which mediate fast, excitatory transmission in mammalian brain are the sites at which the changes responsible for LTP occur. Moreover, pharmacological and physiological experiments indicated that the nature of the change involved a modification of receptor channel kinetics. Modelling studies, incorporating this information into a biologically realistic simulation of the receptor, resulted in a specific hypothesis about which the channel opens and closes (see Progress Report, 1992-1993). During the past year, experimental work was carried out to test this hypothesis. This involved hippocampal slices in which fast, excitatory responses were isolated by pharmacologically blocking inhibitory conductances and post-synaptic spiking. The synaptic responses in those 'disinhibited' slices are simple reflections, modified by dendritic filtering, of AMPA receptor mediated currents.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 31, 1994
Accession Number
ADA284926

Entities

People

  • Gary Lynch

Organizations

  • University of California, Irvine

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Amino Acids Peptides And Proteins
  • Biomolecules
  • Brain
  • Computer Simulations
  • Filtration
  • Glutamates
  • Kinetics
  • Membranes
  • Physiological Effects
  • Protein-Protein Interactions
  • Proteins
  • Reducing Agents
  • Reflection
  • Simulations
  • Synapses
  • Waveforms

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Neuroscience
  • Theoretical Analysis.