Mechanisms underlying short- and long-term plasticity at the mossy fibre -> CA3 synapse in the hippocampus

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Synapses, the contacts between brain cells, are extremely plastic. They can become stronger and weaker depending on the activity they experience. The hippocampus, a structure in the brain, is known to be critical to the formation of conscious memories. The plastic nature of the synapse in this structure is thought to underlie learning and memory. Understanding the mechanisms that are responsible for the changes in synaptic strength in the hippocampus are therefore important to our understanding of learning and memory. This proposal describes a series of experiments that are designed to determine the mechanisms of plastic changes . We hope, that by understanding these mechanisms, we can start to understand how we learn and remember.