Synaptic Plasticity in Hebbian Cell Assemblies

描述(由申请人提供)：唐纳德·O·赫布构思了细胞组装-一个小型网络，其神经元以刻板的序列发射-代表记忆痕迹。这些细胞组装被认为是在许多实验准备中观察到的持续活动模式的基础。然而，目前尚不清楚这些组装是如何从一群发育中的神经元发展而来的，以及一旦出现组装如何保持稳定性。第一个问题直接关系到记忆痕迹是如何在大脑中出现的。第二个问题与癫痫有直接关系，癫痫是一种以不稳定、过度兴奋的神经元网络为特征的病理。大鼠海马区培养为研究这些问题提供了一个模型系统。除了是一个高度易处理的系统外，它还支持混响电路的自发开发，这是电池组件的一个标志。使用这个系统结合穿孔膜片钳记录，我将研究活动依赖的突触可塑性和Hebbian细胞组装之间的相互关系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Donald O. Hebb conceived of the cell assembly - a small network whose neurons fire in stereotyped sequences - to represent a memory trace. These cell assemblies are believed to underlie persistent activity patterns observed in many experimental preparations. However, it is unknown how these assemblies develop ex nihilo from a population of developing neurons, and how an assembly can retain stability once it emerges. The first of these questions bears directly on how memory traces can emerge in the brain. The second question is of direct relevance to epilepsy, a pathology characterized by unstable, hyperexcitable neuronal networks. Rat hippocampal culture provides a model system for studying these questions. In addition to being a highly tractable system, it supports the spontaneous development of reverberatory circuits, a hallmark of cell assemblies. Using this system in combination with perforated patch clamp recordings, I will examine the reciprocal relationship between activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and Hebbian cell assemblies.