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A central tenet of most theories of synaptic modification during cortical development is that correlated activity drives plasticity in synaptically connected neurons. Unexpectedly, however, using sensory-evoked activity patterns recorded from the developing mouse cortex in vivo, the synaptic learning rule that we uncover here relies solely on the presynaptic neuron. A burst of three presynaptic spikes followed, within a restricted time window, by a single presynaptic spike induces robust long-term depression (LTD) at developing layer 4 to layer 2/3 synapses. This presynaptic spike pattern-dependent LTD (p-LTD) can be induced by individual presynaptic layer 4 cells, requires presynaptic NMDA receptors and calcineurin, and is expressed presynaptically. However, in contrast to spike timing-dependent LTD, p-LTD is independent of postsynaptic and astroglial signaling. This spike pattern-dependent learning rule complements timing-based rules and is likely to play a role in the pruning of synaptic input during cortical development.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.035

Type

Journal article

Journal

Neuron

Publication Date

09/01/2013

Volume

77

Pages

35 - 42

Keywords

Animals, Animals, Newborn, Long-Term Synaptic Depression, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Neocortex, Neuronal Plasticity, Presynaptic Terminals, Synapses