Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Feb:54:186-193.
doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.06.013. Epub 2018 Jul 13.

Synaptic plasticity in human cortical circuits: cellular mechanisms of learning and memory in the human brain?

Huibert D Mansvelder  1 , Matthijs B Verhoog  2 , Natalia A Goriounova  3
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Synaptic plasticity in human cortical circuits: cellular mechanisms of learning and memory in the human brain?

Huibert D Mansvelder et al. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2019 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Synaptic plasticity is the cellular basis of learning and memory, but to what extent this holds for the adult human brain is not known. To study synaptic plasticity in human neuronal circuits poses a huge challenge, since live human neurons and synapses are not readily accessible. Despite this, various lines of research have provided insights in properties of adult human synapses and their plasticity both in vitro and in vivo, with some unexpected surprises. We first discuss the experimental approaches to study activity-dependent plasticity of adult human synapses, and then highlight rules and mechanisms of Hebbian spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) found in these synapses. Finally, we conclude with thoughts on how these synaptic principles can underlie human learning and memory.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources