Abstract
We introduce a bistability mechanism for long-term synaptic plasticity based on switching between two metastable states that contain significantly different numbers of synaptic receptors. One state is characterized by a two-dimensional gas of mobile interacting receptors and is stabilized against clustering by a high nucleation barrier. The other state contains a receptor gas in equilibrium with a large cluster of immobile receptors, which is stabilized by the turnover rate of receptors into and out of the synapse. Transitions between the two states can be initiated by either an increase (potentiation) or a decrease (depotentiation) of the net receptor flux into the synapse. This changes the saturation level of the receptor gas and triggers nucleation or evaporation of receptor clusters. © 2012 American Physical Society.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 10 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KUK-C1-013-04
Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the John Fell Oxford University Press (OUP) Research Fund. In part, it was also supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Award No. KUK-C1-013-04. A. G. and P. C. B. were supported by Wolfson/Royal Society Merit Awards. N. E. thanks the Medical Research Council (UK) for support.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.