title: Neuromodulation and metamodulation by adenosine: Impact and subtleties upon synaptic plasticity regulation.
abstract: Synaptic plasticity mechanisms, i.e. the sequence of events that underlies persistent changes in synaptic strength as a consequence of transient alteration in neuronal firing, are greatly influenced by the 'chemical atmosphere' of the synapses, that is to say by the presence of molecules at the synaptic cleft able to fine-tune the activity of other molecules more directly related to plasticity. One of those fine tuners is adenosine, known for a long time as an ubiquitous neuromodulator and metamodulator and recognized early as influencing synaptic plasticity. In this review we will refer to the mechanisms that adenosine can use to affect plasticity, emphasizing aspects of the neurobiology of adenosine relevant to its ability to control synaptic functioning. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Brain and Memory.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina e Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: anaseb@medicina.ulisboa.pt.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sebastião
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina e Unidade de Neurociências, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: jaribeiro@medicina.ulisboa.pt.
authors.forename: Joaquim A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D059329:Cholinergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D018047:Receptors, Purinergic P1 / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D063388:Endocannabinoids; D018047:Receptors, Purinergic P1; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D000241:Adenosine
keywords: Adenosine formation; Adenosine receptor; Depotentiation; Hippocampus; Long-term depression; Long-term potentiation