title: Reconsolidation and the regulation of plasticity: moving beyond memory.
abstract: Memory reconsolidation is a protein synthesis-dependent process that preserves, in some form, memories that have been destabilized through recall. Reconsolidation is a nearly universal phenomenon, occurring in a diverse array of species and learning tasks. The function of reconsolidation remains unclear but it has been proposed as a mechanism for updating or strengthening memories. Observations of an analog of reconsolidation in vitro and in sensory systems indicate that reconsolidation is unlikely to be a learning-specific phenomenon and may serve a broader function. We propose that reconsolidation arises from the activity-dependent induction of two coincident but opposing processes: the depotentiation and repotentiation of strengthened synapses. These processes suggest that reconsolidation reflects a fundamental mechanism that regulates and preserves synaptic strength.
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: robert.bonin@crulrg.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bonin
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: De Koninck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: heterosynaptic plasticity; homeostatic plasticity; long-term potentiation; protein degradation; protein synthesis; reconsolidation