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Synaptic consolidation: an approach to long-term learning

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Abstract

Synaptic plasticity is thought to be the basis of learning and memory, but it is mostly studied on the timescale of mere minutes. This review discusses synaptic consolidation, a process that enables synapses to retain their strength for a much longer time (days to years), instead of returning to their original value. The process involves specific plasticity-related proteins, and depends on the dopamine D1/D5 receptors. Here, we review the research on synaptic consolidation, describing electrophysiology experiments, recent modeling work, as well as behavioral correlates.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded in part by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche grant ANR-08-SYSC-005. We thank Tom Schaul for helpful input.

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  1. Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France

    Claudia Clopath

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  1. Claudia Clopath
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Correspondence to Claudia Clopath.

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Clopath, C. Synaptic consolidation: an approach to long-term learning. Cogn Neurodyn 6, 251–257 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-011-9177-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-011-9177-6

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