Fragile X syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects sensory systems. A null mutation of the Fragile X Mental Retardation protein 1 (Fmr1) gene in mice has varied effects on developmental plasticity in different sensory systems, including normal barrel cortical plasticity, altered ocular dominance plasticity and grossly impaired auditory frequency map plasticity. The mutation also has di...

Correlated presynaptic and postsynaptic activity is the key factor in inducing Hebbian plasticity and memory. However, little is known about the physiological events that could mediate such coordination. Correlated cholinergic input induces spike timing-dependent plasticity-like hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Cholinergic receptors are localized to both presynaptic and postsynaptic glutamaterg...

Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to reorganize the function and structure of its connections in response to changes in the environment. Adult human visual cortex shows several manifestations of plasticity, such as perceptual learning and adaptation, working under the top-down influence of attention. Plasticity results from the interplay of several mechanisms, including the GAB...

Although synaptic plasticity in neural circuits is orchestrated by an ocean of genes, molecules, and proteins, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Recently, it is well acknowledged that miRNA exerts widespread regulation over the translation and degradation of target gene in nervous system. Increasing evidence suggests that quite a few specific miRNAs play important roles in var...

Homeostatic plasticity is regulatory mechanism that modulates both synaptic connections and intrinsic properties of individual neuron in order to maintain stability of neuronal activity. This type of plasticity is considered to be an important complement to Hebbian plasticity, especially during learning and development process of nervous system. In this project, the role of homeostatic plastici...

In a heterogeneous environment, natural selection on a trait can lead to a variety of outcomes, including phenotypic plasticity and bet-hedging through developmental instability. These outcomes depend on the magnitude and pattern of that heterogeneity and the spatial and temporal distribution of individuals. However, we do not know if and how those two outcomes might interact with each other. I...

Hebbian plasticity, a synaptic mechanism which detects and amplifies co-activity between neurons, is considered a key ingredient underlying learning and memory in the brain. However, Hebbian plasticity alone is unstable, leading to runaway neuronal activity, and therefore requires stabilization by additional compensatory processes. Traditionally, a diversity of homeostatic plasticity phenomena ...

The purpose of this manuscript is to review the results of studies on the recovery or plasticity following a denervation- or lesion-induced change in breathing. Carotid body denervation (CBD), lung denervation (LD), cervical (CDR) and thoracic (TDR) dorsal rhizotomy, dorsal spinal column lesions, and lesions at pontine, medullary, and spinal sites all chronically alter breathing. The plasticity...

The primary visual cortex (V1) is widely used to study brain plasticity, which is not only crucial for normal brain function, such as learning and memory, but also for recovery after brain injuries such as stroke. In standard cage (SC) raised mice, experience-dependent ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in V1 declines with age and is compromised by a lesion in adjacent and distant cortical region...

Questions: Do evolutionary changes in phenotypic plasticity occur after anthropogenic disturbance? Do these changes tend to be increases or decreases in plasticity? How do these evolutionary patterns differ among taxa and trait types? Does evolution of plasticity change with time since the disturbance? Data incorporated: Evolutionary rates for plasticity estimated from 20 studies that have comp...