Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity

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The ability of animals to adapt to their ever-changing environments depends in large part on their ability to learn and remember.  To do so the brain deciphers thousands of electrical signals between billions of neurons at any given time.  However it is unclear what information contained within these electrical signals the brain deems critical.  For example, is it the overall amount of neural activity that is important or is it the small differences in timing between when two neurons are electrically active?  Our research is centered on examining not only how the brain decodes electrical signals, but on the mechanisms underlying learning and memory.  Using state-of-the-art electrophysiology recordings we are able to measure the electrical activity simultaneously from two neurons which are being modified in response to electrical signals that simulate learning.  This neuronal modification in response to electrical activity is called synaptic plasticity.   This grant has two primary objectives.  The first is to determine the types of neurons required for synaptic plasticity between inhibitory neurons that release the neurotransmitter GABA. The second is to determine the functional significance of this inhibitory synaptic plasticity, which we will do by examining the role of plasticity in the consolidation of memories that occurs during sleep.  This research is important because inhibitory synaptic plasticity underlies healthy brain function.  For example, when this plasticity fails the brain is unable to properly process memory formation.