The adult brain contains millions of "silent synapses", or immature connections between neurons that remain inactive until they are required for learning new information and storing new memories.
A new study provides novel mechanistic insights into how ketamine exerts its antidepressant effects for those with depression.
Receptor potentiation was observed when the antagonists bind to receptors that consist of different subunits, where it acts as a subunit.
A newly designed synthetic compound could act as a prototype for a novel class of drugs to treat neurological damage.
Oxytocin, the so-called "love hormone," could help to treat cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Researchers demonstrated oxytocin reversed the effects of amyloid-beta on hippocampal LTP in mice. The findings suggest oxytocin could be used as a therapeutic for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Learning and memory abilities may vary, depending on the nature of individual experiences early in life.
Motor learning induces widespread cortical synaptic potentiation by increasing the trafficking of AMPAR into dendritic spines.
AMPA receptors form and disintegrate continually, rather than existing as stable entities. The findings shed light on the early stages of synaptic plasticity.
According to a new mathematical model of seizures, only the conductivity of the AMPA receptors in neurons in the temporal lobe significantly change, leading to stronger excitation and synaptic signals.
Researchers have identified how alcohol influences dopaminergic and inhibitory neurons in the ventral tegmental area. The findings could help develop new treatments for alcohol dependence.
A new study reports brown fat interacts with secretin, a gut hormone, to signal the feeling of fullness to the brain while eating.
A new study reveals a mechanistic link between zinc levels in fetal development, genes and abnormal neural connections associated with autism.
