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Nature 458, 296-297 (19 March 2009) | doi:10.1038/458296a; Published online 18 March 2009
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Neuroscience: Secret of synapse specificity
Scott M. Thompson1 & Hayley A. Mattison1
Abstract
How does the brain organize all of the information stored in memory? On the basis of a state-of-the-art imaging study of neuronal activity in real time, the answer seems to be, through specificity in space and time.
Memories are encoded by a specific pattern of activity that is unique to the information being processed and stored. Memory formation is almost certainly achieved at the synaptic junctions between neurons through the process of long-term potentiation (LTP), whereby synaptic communication between two simultaneously active neurons becomes stronger1, 2.
- Scott M. Thompson and Hayley A. Mattison are in the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
Email: sthom003@umaryland.edu
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