Spike timing dependent plasticity

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Spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is a form of synaptic plasticity naturally occurring in neurons. The first experiments that specifically examined the effect of millisecond relative timing of pre and postsynaptic action potentials was carried out by Henry Markram in Bert Sakmann's laboratory in 1994. STDP is a highly non-linear phenomenon. It is believed to strengthen synapses that are activated within 20-40 ms before a postsynaptic spike, and to weaken those that are activated within a similar time window after the spike. This phenomenon has been observed in various preparations, with some variation in the time-window relevant for plasticity. Several reasons for timing-dependent plasticity have been suggested. For example, STDP might operate as a learning rule that maximizes the mutual information between inputs and outputs of simple networks.

External links

  • Roberts P.D., Bell C.C. ; Spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity in biological systems. Biological Cybernetics, 87, 392-403. (2002)

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