Shining light on spike timing-dependent plasticity.
Although spike timing-dependent plasticity has been well-characterized in vitro, it is less clear to what degree spike timing-dependent plasticity contributes to shaping visual system properties in vivo. In this issue of Neuron, two papers by Vislay-Meltzer et al. and Mu and Poo provide evidence that STDP contributes to the effects of sensory stimuli in refinement of the retinotectal system in Xenopus.
Constantine-Paton
Martha
M
McGovern Institute for Brain Research, 46-4165 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D008027:Light; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013997:Time Factors