Precision in synaptic plasticity is mediated by Integration of multiple stimulation pulses and inter-stimulus intervals

PAGANI MR; SAN MARTIN A

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 2nd FALAN Congress; 2016

Federation of Latin-American and Caribbean Societies for Neuroscience (FALAN)

Structural synaptic plasticity induced by specific patterns of activity is essential for behavioral readjustment. Exists plenty evidence on how spaced patterns of training enhance memory and skills acquisition. However, how synapses decode the information encoded in specific patterns of stimuli is unclear. In this study we analyzed events ofstructural synaptic plasticity at a single synapse level after distinct stimulation patterns in motoneurons of Drosophila. We found that the inter-stimulus intervals inhibited synaptic plasticity, whereas more than three spaced stimuli overcome such inhibitory effect.Moreover, this inhibitory effect required activity-dependent Ras/MAPK signaling. Whereas massed stimulation produced an ambiguous response (highly variable number of events of plasticity), multiple spaced stimuli promote a precise response. This precision was impaired by a pathological associated gain-of-function Ras mutations. We propose a model of spacing-dependent structural synaptic plasticity modulation.Increasing knowledge in this mechanisms could contribute to understand more complex processes like memory and skills acquisition by spaced patterns.