Inhibitory and excitatory spike-timing-dependent plasticity in the auditory cortex.

ABSTRACT: Synapses are plastic and can be modified by changes in spike timing. Whereas most studies of long-term synaptic plasticity focus on excitation, inhibitory plasticity may be critical for controlling information processing, memory storage, and overall excitability in neural circuits. Here we examine spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) of inhibitory synapses onto layer 5 neurons in slices of mouse auditory cortex, together with concomitant STDP of excitatory synapses. Pairing pre- and postsynaptic spikes potentiated inhibitory inputs irrespective of precise temporal order within ∼10 ms. This was in contrast to excitatory inputs, which displayed an asymmetrical STDP time window. These combined synaptic modifications both required NMDA receptor activation and adjusted the excitatory-inhibi

SUBMITTER: D'amour JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4409545 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature