In search of general mechanisms for long-lasting plasticity:Aplysiaand the hippocampus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Long-term synaptic plasticity is thought to underlie many forms of long-lasting memory. Long-lasting plasticity has been most extensively studied in the marine snailAplysiaand in the mammalian hippocampus, where Bliss and Lømo first described long-term potentiation 30 years ago. The molecular mechanisms of plasticity in these two systems have proven to have many similarities. Here, we briefly describe some of these areas of overlap. We then summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of long-lasting synaptic facilitation inAplysiaand suggest that these may prove fruitful areas for future investigation in the mammalian hippocampus and at other synapses in the mammalian brain.