Storing Covariance by the Associative Long-Term Potentiation and Depression of Synaptic Strengths in the Hippocampus

In modeling studies or memory based on neural networks, both the selective enhancement and depression or synaptic strengths are required ror effident storage or inrormation (Sejnowski, 1977a,b; Kohonen, 1984; Bienenstock et aI, 1982; Sejnowski and Tesauro, 1989). We have tested this assumption in the hippocampus, a cortical structure or the brain that is involved in long-term memory. A brier, high-frequency activation or excitatory synapses in the hippocampus produces an increase in synaptic strength known as long-term potentiation, or L TP (BUss and Lomo, 1973), that can last ror many days. LTP is known to be Hebbian since it requires the simultaneous release or neurotransmitter from presynaptic terminals coupled with postsynaptic depolarization (Kelso et al, 1986; Malinow and Miller, 1986; Gustatrson et al, 1987). However, a mechanism ror the persistent reduction or synaptic strength that could balance LTP has not yet been demonstrated.