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On the Induction of Postsynaptic Granule Cell–Purkinje Neuron LTP and LTD

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Abstract

In the last decade, several experimental studies have demonstrated that particular patterns of synaptic activity can induce postsynaptic parallel fiber (PF) long-term potentiation (LTP). This form of plasticity can reverse postsynaptic PF long-term depression (LTD), which has been traditionally considered as the principal form of plasticity underlying cerebellar learning. Postsynaptic PF-LTP requires a transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration and, in contrast to PF-LTD, is induced without concomitant climbing fiber (CF) activation. Thus, it has been postulated that the polarity of long-term synaptic plasticity is determined by the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient during the induction protocol, with PF-LTP induced by smaller Ca2+ signals without concomitant CF activation. However, this hypothesis is contradicted by recent studies. A quantitative analysis of Ca2+ signals associated with induction of PF-LTP indicates that the bidirectional induction of long-term plasticity is regulated by more complex mechanisms. Here we review the state-of-the-art of research on postsynaptic PF-LTP and PF-LTD and discuss the principal open questions on this topic.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the University of Basel and by SNSF grant 3100A0_122000 (M.C.). We thank Prof. Josef Kapfhammer for valuable comments on the manuscript.

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We declare that there are no conflicts of interest with this submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Kaspar E. Vogt & Marco Canepari

  2. Research Group 3, Calcium Channels, Functions, and Pathologies, Unité Inserm 836, Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, Bât. Edmond J. Safra, Chemin fortuné Ferrini, Site Santé à la Tronche, BP 170, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 09, France

    Marco Canepari

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  1. Kaspar E. Vogt
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Correspondence to Marco Canepari.

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Vogt, K.E., Canepari, M. On the Induction of Postsynaptic Granule Cell–Purkinje Neuron LTP and LTD. Cerebellum 9, 284–290 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-010-0174-9

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