Long-term potentiation in rat prefrontal slices facilitated by phased application of dopamine.

We have previously shown that coupling bath application of dopamine with 50 Hz tetani induces long-term depression in rat prefrontal slices [Neuroscience 85 (1998) 669]. Here, we report a reliable protocol for inducing long-term potentiation in the same preparation. Long-term potentiation was induced by the same dopamine-tetani coupling protocol when the coupling was preceded (approximately 30 min) by a single bath application of dopamine. We suggest that metaplastic processes triggered by the first application of dopamine might underlie the LTP induction.