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| Spike-timing-dependent plasticity | |
|---|---|
| Name | Spike-timing-dependent plasticity |
| Field | Neuroscience |
| Discovered | 1990s |
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity is a form of synaptic modification in which the relative timing of presynaptic and postsynaptic action potentials determines the direction and magnitude of synaptic strength change. Originating from experimental studies in the 1990s, this rule links precise spike timing to long-term potentiation and long-term depression observed across many species and brain regions. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity has been investigated by laboratories and institutions worldwide and has influenced theories developed by researchers at universities and research centers.
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity is characterized by temporal windows in which presynaptic spikes that precede postsynaptic spikes induce potentiation, whereas the reverse order induces depression. Early conceptualization drew on observations attributed to investigators at institutions such as Max Planck Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University College London. The phenomenon has been probed in preparations studied at facilities like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Salk Institute, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University. Theoretical framing and dissemination occurred through conferences hosted by organizations including Society for Neuroscience, European Neuroscience Association, and Federation of European Neuroscience Societies.
Empirical demonstrations of timing-dependent changes appeared in slice preparations from regions investigated by groups at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Yale University, and McGill University. Classic experiments used stimulation paradigms developed at centers such as Bell Labs and published by authors affiliated with University of California, San Francisco and University of Washington. Studies in hippocampus, neocortex, and cerebellum involved collaborations with clinics or institutes such as National Institutes of Health, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, and University of Toronto. In vivo demonstrations in sensory systems were reported by teams at University of California, Los Angeles, ETH Zurich, Riken, and University of Tokyo. Electrophysiological techniques were refined in laboratories influenced by work from University of Edinburgh, University of Munich, University of Pisa, and University of Barcelona.
Mechanistic investigations implicated receptor systems and signaling cascades characterized in studies from groups at University of Basel, Yale School of Medicine, University of Freiburg, and University of Geneva. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor dynamics and calcium signaling were central concepts advanced by researchers at University of Copenhagen, University of Milan, McMaster University, and Seoul National University. Intracellular pathways involving kinases and phosphatases were elaborated by teams connected to University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, University of Melbourne, and Monash University. Modulatory influences such as neuromodulators and retrograde messengers were probed in work from Rockefeller University, Vanderbilt University, University of Sydney, and University of São Paulo.
Functional interpretations linked spike-timing-dependent plasticity to learning and memory frameworks advanced in departments at Princeton University, Cornell University, Brown University, University of Chicago, and New York University. Computational models incorporating STDP principles were developed by groups associated with University of California, San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas at Austin, and Indian Institute of Science. Applications to sensory coding and motor learning were pursued by investigators at Northwestern University, University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, University of Virginia, and University of Edinburgh. Machine learning parallels and algorithmic implementations drew interest from labs at Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Facebook AI Research, and OpenAI.
Multiple STDP variants including triplet rules, voltage-dependent rules, and homeostatic interactions were characterized in collaborations spanning University of Bristol, University of Sheffield, University of Glasgow, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Related plasticity phenomena such as heterosynaptic plasticity, metaplasticity, and spike-rate-dependent forms were reported by teams at University of Freiburg, University of Bern, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Helsinki, and University of Zurich. Cross-talk with inhibitory plasticity and glial modulation was explored in studies at University of Antwerp, Ghent University, University of Oslo, University of Iceland, and Trinity College Dublin.
Developmental roles of spike-timing-dependent mechanisms were investigated in systems studied by groups at Rutgers University, University of California, Davis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, and Michigan State University. Behavioral correlates linking STDP to perceptual learning, skill acquisition, and critical period plasticity were reported by teams at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of Edinburgh, University of York, and University of Sussex. Animal models from laboratories at University of Glasgow, University of St Andrews, University of Oslo, University of Helsinki, and Universidade de São Paulo provided evidence for STDP contributions to navigation, sensory discrimination, and social behaviors.
Formal models of spike-timing-dependent plasticity were formulated using differential equations and statistical frameworks developed by researchers at Institute for Advanced Study, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Simulation platforms and toolboxes for STDP research have been produced by teams at The Allen Institute, Blue Brain Project, Human Brain Project, Neuroscience Gateway, and European Bioinformatics Institute. Numerical implementations use environments created by groups at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brown University, Sainsbury Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory.