Presynaptic contributions in synaptic plasticity

细胞间的通讯是生物科学的核心问题。在大脑中，通讯发生在一个专门的结构称为突触。除了作为脑细胞之间的信息通道外，众所周知，突触的强度可以以经验依赖的方式经历长期变化。突触的这种可塑性被称为突触可塑性，是学习和记忆的细胞模型。因此，了解突触可塑性的生物学机制将极大地推进我们对记忆如何在大脑中形成的认识。

Communication between cells is the core issue of biological science. In the brain, communication takes place at a specialized structure named the synapse. In addition to functioning as an information gateway between brain cells, it is well known that the strength of synapses can undergo long-term changes in an experience-dependent manner. This plastic property of synapse, which is termed as synaptic plasticity, is the cellular model for learning and memory. Thus, understanding the biological mechanisms of synaptic plasticity will greatly advance our knowledge of how memory is formed in the brain.