2 COMPONENTS OF LONG-TERM POTENTIATION INDUCED BY DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF AFFERENT ACTIVATION

LONG-TERM potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synaptic transmission1-4 could be a mechanism underlying memory3,5. Induction of LTP requires Ca2+ influx into postsynaptic neurons6 through ion channels gated by NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in hippocampus (area CA17,8 and dentate gyrus9) and neocortex10. Here we report that a component of LTP not requiring the activation of NMDA receptors can be induced in area CA1. The component is dependent on tetanus frequency, requires increases in postsynaptic intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, and is suppressed by an antagonist of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. © 1990 Nature Publishing Group.