Publication Date:
1988-10-07
Description:
Brief repetitive activation of excitatory synapses in the hippocampus leads to an increase in synaptic strength that lasts for many hours. This long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission is the most compelling cellular model in the vertebrate brain for learning and memory. The critical role of postsynaptic calcium in triggering LTP has been directly examined using three types of experiment. First, nitr-5, a photolabile nitrobenzhydrol tetracarboxylate calcium chelator, which releases calcium in response to ultraviolet light, was used. Photolysis of nitr-5 injected into hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells resulted in a large enhancement of synaptic transmission. Second, in agreement with previous results, buffering intracellular calcium at low concentrations blocked LTP. Third, depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane so that calcium entry is suppressed prevented LTP. Taken together, these results demonstrate that an increase in postsynaptic calcium is necessary to induce LTP and sufficient to potentiate synaptic transmission.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Malenka, R C -- Kauer, J A -- Zucker, R S -- Nicoll, R A -- MH00437/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ -- MH38256/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ -- NS24205/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1988 Oct 7;242(4875):81-4.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2845577" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
Calcium/*physiology
;
Chelating Agents/pharmacology
;
Egtazic Acid/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology
;
Evoked Potentials/drug effects
;
Hippocampus/*physiology
;
In Vitro Techniques
;
Kinetics
;
Photolysis
;
Pyramidal Tracts/physiology
;
Rats
;
Synapses/*physiology
;
*Synaptic Transmission
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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