The diverse functions of short-term plasticity components in synaptic computations

Abstract

Short-term plasticity (STP) comprises several rapid synaptic processes that operate on millisecond-to-minute timescales and modulate synaptic efficacy in an activity-dependent manner. Facilitation and augmentation are two major STP components in central synapses that work to enhance synaptic strength, while various forms of short-term depression work to decrease it. These multiple components of STP interact to perform a variety of synaptic computations. Using a modeling approach in excitatory hippocampal synapses, we recently described the contributions of individual STP components to synaptic operations. In this mini-review, we summarize the recent findings that revealed a wide palette of functions that STP components play in neural operations and discuss their roles in information processing, working memory and decision making. 

Note and Acknowledgments

We apologize to those whose closely related studies could not be cited in this review due to space limitations. We thank Dr. V. Cavalli and D. Owyoung, for helpful comments on the manuscript. This work was supported in part by grants to V.K. from the Whitehall Foundation and the Mallinckrodt Foundation.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1 Model of STP functions in synaptic computations and information processing. Wide blue arrows and white arrows indicate information flow directions; green arrows show the factors that may influence information processing; and red arrows represent increase or decrease in synaptic strength.