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Synaptic plasticity

Steps to lasting plasticity

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 5, page 898 (2004)Cite this article

Both BDNF and tPA have previously been found to be necessary for L-LTP in the hippocampus, but until now it has been unclear how they are related. There is in vitro evidence that plasmin, which is produced by tPA, can generate the mature form of BDNF by cleaving its precursor, proBDNF. So Pang et al. proposed that these two cleavage events, culminating in the production of BDNF, might be important stages in the expression of L-LTP.

Consistent with this idea, the authors found that the ability of protein synthesis inhibitors to prevent hippocampal L-LTP could be blocked by an infusion of BDNF shortly after the LTP-inducing stimulus. BDNF treatment could also change early-phase (E-)LTP, induced by a different stimulation protocol, into L-LTP.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Pang, P. T. et al. Cleavage of pro-BDNF by tPA/plasmin is essential for long-term hippocampal plasticity. Science 306, 487–491 (2004)

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  1. Rachel Jones
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Jones, R. Steps to lasting plasticity. Nat Rev Neurosci 5, 898 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1562

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1562

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