Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 10 January 1997:
Vol. 275. no. 5297, pp. 221 - 224
DOI: 10.1126/science.275.5297.221
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Synaptic Depression and Cortical Gain Control

L. F. Abbott, * J. A. Varela, Kamal Sen, S. B. Nelson

Cortical neurons receive synaptic inputs from thousands of afferents that fire action potentials at rates ranging from less than 1 hertz to more than 200 hertz. Both the number of afferents and their large dynamic range can mask changes in the spatial and temporal pattern of synaptic activity, limiting the ability of a cortical neuron to respond to its inputs. Modeling work based on experimental measurements indicates that short-term depression of intracortical synapses provides a dynamic gain-control mechanism that allows equal percentage rate changes on rapidly and slowly firing afferents to produce equal postsynaptic responses. Unlike inhibitory and adaptive mechanisms that reduce responsiveness to all inputs, synaptic depression is input-specific, leading to a dramatic increase in the sensitivity of a neuron to subtle changes in the firing patterns of its afferents.

L. F. Abbott and Kamal Sen, Volen Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254, USA.
J. A. Varela and S. B. Nelson, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Locally Balanced Dendritic Integration by Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity and Active Dendritic Conductances.
V. Volman, H. Levine, E. Ben-Jacob, and T. J. Sejnowski (2009)
J Neurophysiol 102, 3234-3250
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Developmental alterations in the functional properties of excitatory neocortical synapses.
D. Feldmeyer and G. Radnikow (2009)
J. Physiol. 587, 1889-1896
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Variability of motor neuron spike timing maintains and shapes contractions of the accessory radula closer muscle of Aplysia..
Y. Zhurov and V. Brezina (2006)
J. Neurosci. 26, 7056-7070
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Impact of Cortical Network Activity on Short-term Synaptic Depression.
R. Reig, R. Gallego, L. G. Nowak, and M. V. Sanchez-Vives (2006)
Cereb Cortex 16, 688-695
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Spike-Frequency Adaptation Separates Transient Communication Signals from Background Oscillations.
J. Benda, A. Longtin, and L. Maler (2005)
J. Neurosci. 25, 2312-2321
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)