Mu-ming Poo , Ph.D.

Propagation of Synatic Modifications in Neural Networks

In vivo whole-cell recording from developing Xenopus tectal neurons revealed that convergent retinotectal synapses undergo persistent homo- and heterosynaptic modification following correlated pre- and postsynaptic activity within a narrow time window. Synaptic inputs that are repetitively activated within 20 ms before the spiking of the tectal neuron become potentiated, while subthreshold inputs activated within 20 ms after the spiking become depressed. Thus both the initial synaptic strength and the relative timing of synaptic activation are critical for activity-dependent cooperation and competition between convergent retinotectal inputs in the developing optic tectum.

 

 

 

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