Dynamic regulation of spike-timing dependent plasticity in electrosensory processing

This study investigates the control of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) by regulation of the dendritic spike threshold of the postsynaptic neuron. The control of synaptic plasticity may be implemented in the electrosensory system of mormyrid electric fish by feedback control. Dendritic spikes constitute the timing signal of the STDP learning rule that regulates the output of this initial electrosensory processing structure, and the threshold of these spikes appears to be regulated by recurrent inputs from an external nucleus. However, the control dynamics must be shown to be stable, and the conditions for stability would constrain potential models of synaptic regulation. The global stability conditions for the control of STDP are derived using nonlinear control dynamical theory.