How do short-term changes at synapses fine-tune information processing?
Synaptic transmission is highly dependent on recent activity and can lead to depression or facilitation of synaptic strength. This phenomenon is called "short-term synaptic plasticity" and is shown at all synapses. While much work has been done to understand the mechanisms of short-term changes in the state of synapses, short-term plasticity is often thought of as a mechanistic consequence of the design of a synapse. This review will attempt to go beyond this view and discuss how, on one hand, complex neuronal activity affects the short-term state of synapses, but also how these dynamic changes in synaptic strength affect information processing in return.
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA. achim.klug@ucdenver.edu
Achim
A
Klug
J Gerard G
JG
Borst
Bruce A
BA
Carlson
Cornelia
C
Kopp-Scheinpflug
Vitaly A
VA
Klyachko
Matthew A
MA
Xu-Friedman
D000818:Animals; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors