Summary
Key Takeaways
- Different types of learning are related to different types of changes at the level of the synapse.
- Plasticity in the brain involves changes in neurochemistry. The relative role of these neurochemicals varies with the type of learning.
- Nervous systems are similar across species. We infer that changes that occur in Aplysia and rabbits are similar to what occurs in humans at the synaptic levels.
- We grow new synaptic circuits through experience. These changes largely reflect changes in the dendrites which are highly changeable in shape.
- Changes in the synapses within the hippocampus play an important role in the formation of new memories.
Sources/References
Bailey, C.J., Kandel, E.R., & Harris, K.M. (1915). Structural components of synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. Doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a.021758.
Kolb, B., Whishaw, I., & Teskey, G. C. (2016). An introduction to brain and behavior. (5th Ed.). NY: Macmillan Learning.
Nicoll, R. (2017) A brief history of long-term potentiation. Neuron, 93, 281-290. A Brief History of Long-Term Potentiation
Sirevaag, A., & Greenough, W. (1988). A multivariate statistical summary of synaptic plasticity measures in rats exposed to complex, social and individual environments. Brain Research, 441, 386-392.