Journal Article

State Based Model of Long-Term Potentiation and Synaptic Tagging and Capture

Billings, Guy O., van Rossum, Mark C. W., Barrett, Adam B., Morris, Richard G. M.

2009

Overview

Recent data indicate that plasticity protocols have not only synapse-specific but also more widespread effects. In particular, in synaptic tagging and capture (STC), tagged synapses can capture plasticity-related proteins, synthesized in response to strong stimulation of other synapses. This leads to long-lasting modification of only weakly stimulated synapses. Here we present a biophysical model of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus that incorporates several key results from experiments on STC. The model specifies a set of physical states in which a synapse can exist, together with transition rates that are affected by high- and low-frequency stimulation protocols. In contrast to most standard plasticity models, the model exhibits both early- and late-phase LTP/D, de-potentiation, and STC. As such, it provides a useful starting point for further theoretical work on the role of STC in learning and memory.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Animals / Computational Biology/Computational Neuroscience / Dopamine / Electric Stimulation / Evoked Potentials / Experiments / Hippocampus (Brain) / Hippocampus - physiology / Humans / Information storage / Kinases / Long-term potentiation / Long-Term Potentiation - physiology / Memory - physiology / Models, Neurological / Nerve Net - physiology / Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism / Neural networks / Neurons - metabolism / Neuroplasticity / Neuroscience/Theoretical Neuroscience / Physiological aspects / Population / Protein synthesis / Proteins / Stochastic Processes / Synapses - genetics / Synapses - metabolism / Synaptic Transmission - physiology