Structural synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus induced by spatial experience and its implications in information processing.

INTRODUCTION: Long-lasting memory formation requires that groups of neurons processing new information develop the ability to reproduce the patterns of neural activity acquired by experience. DEVELOPMENT: Changes in synaptic efficiency let neurons organise to form ensembles that repeat certain activity patterns again and again. Among other changes in synaptic plasticity, structural modifications tend to be long-lasting which suggests that they underlie long-term memory. There is a large body of evidence supporting that experience promotes changes in the synaptic structure, particularly in the hippocampus.
CONCLUSION: Structural changes to the hippocampus may be functionally implicated in stabilising acquired memories and encoding new information.