Properties and mechanisms of long-term synaptic plasticity in the mammalian brain: relationships to learning and memory.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus and long-term depression (LTD) in the cerebellum are two forms of long-lasting synaptic plasticity that currently serve as our primary experimental models of learning and memory formation in mammals. In recent years, there have been considerable advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these and other forms of synaptic plasticity. This article presents an overview of these developments, considers the relationship of long-term synaptic plasticity mechanisms to learning and memory in view of these developments, and suggests future directions for research in this rapidly growing area of neuroscience.