SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY - HIPPOCAMPAL LTP

One of the most intensively studied forms of synaptic plasticity is long-term potentiation (LTP). The past year has seen further evidence advanced on both sides of the presynaptic/postsynaptic focus of expression debate, without an obvious path to reconcile the two views. Real progress has been made, however, in clarifying the possible role of nitric oxide as a retrograde messenger and the cellular location of its synthetic enzyme. Intriguing glimpses of the complex involvement of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the induction of LTP have also appeared.