Optical Studies of Synaptic Plasticity

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For years, neurobiologists have speculated that the physical basis of learning and memory involves specific structural changes in the brain, and, particularly, the growth of new neural connections. But only within the last decade or so have the techniques of modern neurobiology been brought to bear on the problem of the morphological substrates of learning and memory. Now, it is possible to directly visualize structural changes in the intact, living nervous system while an animal is engaged in a learning task. Dr. David Glanzman is using optical recording and video microscopy to gain a deeper understanding of the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. He is utilizing an invertebrate preparation while studying sensorimotor synapses reconstituted in dissociated cell culture. The dynamic cellular changes observed in these studies may provide mechanistic roles for specific biochemical and molecular events associated with learning.