Long-term potentiation facilitates behavioral responding to single-pulse stimulation of the perforant path.

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Abstract
Three experiments were conducted to determine whether long-term potentiation (LTP) could enhance the stimulus properties of electrical brain stimulation. First, a paradigm was developed in which single-pulse stimulation of the perforant path (PP) could acquire control over operant responses. Evoked potentials were recorded from the [rat] dentate gyrus (DG) on every trial in order to measure the postsynaptic consequences of the stimulus and to monitor synaptic efficacy in the PP-DG synapses. The 2nd experiment confirmed the relation between the amount of evoked activity and acquisition rate and also showed that transecting the PP impaired performance. In the 3rd experiment, high-frequency stimulation of the PP produced LTP and accelerated subsequent acquisition of behavioral responding to PP stimulation. These results document a clear link between increases in synaptic efficacy and changes in behavior and thereby demonstrate the ability of LTP to serve as at least 1 component of the neural bases of learning and memory.

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