Organizer:

Goals of the Workshop

The primary goal of this workshop will be to examine induction of both long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic efficacy in a variety of neuronal types. Emphasis will be placed on looking at the differences in the induction methods and mechanisms involved in synaptic plasticity in each neuronal type, and towards bringing an awareness of the heterogeneity of the phenomena. The target audience will be comprised of both theoretical and experimental researchers who are interested in the manner in which synaptic efficacy can be altered.

Specific Issues to be addressed in this workshop include:

• What are the electrical signals essential for the induction of the synaptic plasticity in mammalian neurons? Jeff Magee wil present evidence indicating the involvement of active dendritic signals in the induction of both LTP and LTD.
• Do all neuronal types within a given brain region respond similarly to an identical tetanization protocol? Julie Kauer will show the effects of stimulation that induces LTP in pyramidal cells on interneurons in the hippocampal formation.
• Is LTP synapse specific? Florian Engert will present some of his recent work indicating exactly how synapse specific LTP is.
• What are the mechanisms involved in LTD Induction? Are pre- or post-synaptic factors essential, or do both contribute to the process. Hey Kyoung Lee will provide results from her recent work in this area.

Scheduled Presentations

• Florian Engert and Tobias Bonhoeffer
Max Planck Institute, Munchen Martinsried, Germany
Synapse Specificity of Long-Term Potentiation Breaks Down at Short Distances.
• Hey-Kyoung Lee and Mark F. Bear
Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, New England
Mechanisms of Long-Term Depression in the Hippocampus.
• Mark Yeckel and Dan Johnston
Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Network and Cellular Determinants of Mossy Fiber LTP.
• Venkatesh Murthy and Charles Stevens
Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California
Strengths of Neighboring Synapses of Cultured Hippocampal Neurons are Correlated.
• Jeff Magee
Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
A Synaptically Controlled, Associative Signal for Hebbian Plasticity in Hippocampal Neurons.
• Julie Kauer
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
• Reiko Fitzsimmons and Moo Ming Poo
Department of Biology, University of California at San Diego,
San Diego, California