Mechanisms controlling the variability of synaptic strengths in defined synaptic circuits

Synapses are essential nodes of information transmission in the brain, and dynamic changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission play a fundamental role in cognitive functions including emotion, computation, perception and learning and memory. Our research seeks to understand how individual synapses acquire a particular strength, and how the strength of individual synapses is dynamically modified by network activity and in relationship to other synapses sharing the network.