Plasticity in the human central nervous system

• Published in: Brain (London, England : 1878) Vol. 129; no. 7; pp. 1659 - 1673
• Main Authors: Cooke, S. F., Bliss, T. V. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.07.2006; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Borrelia infections; Brain - physiology; Brain Diseases - therapy; Depressive Disorder - therapy; Human bacterial diseases; Human viral diseases; Humans; Hyperalgesia - therapy; Infectious diseases; interventional paired associative stimulation; long-term depression; long-term potentiation; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Medical sciences; Memory - physiology; Mice; Neurology; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; NMDA receptor; Physical Stimulation - methods; Rats; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - physiology; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Tropical bacterial diseases; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Human; Potentiation; Nervous system diseases; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; long-term depression; Central nervous system; Glutamate receptor; interventional paired associative stimulation; Synaptic transmission; Paired stimulation; Synaptic plasticity; Synaptic depression; NMDA receptor; long-term potentiation
• ISSN: 0006-8950; 1460-2156; 1460-2156
• DOI: 10.1093/brain/awl082

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a well-characterized form of synaptic plasticity that fulfils many of the criteria for a neural correlate of memory. LTP has been studied in a variety of animal models and, in rodents in particular, there is now a strong body of evidence demonstrating common underlying molecular mechanisms in LTP and memory. Results are beginning to emerge from studies of neural plasticity in humans. This review will summarize findings demonstrating that synaptic LTP can be induced in human CNS tissue and that rodent and human LTP probably share similar molecular mechanisms. We will also discuss the application of non-invasive stimulation techniques to awake human subjects to induce LTP-like long-lasting changes in localized neural activity. These techniques have potential therapeutic application in manipulating neural plasticity to treat a variety of conditions, including depression, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and neuropathic pain.