Introducing the brain: plasticity from synapses (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, June 06, 2025, 19:47 (5 days ago) @ David Turell

Different forms of transmission:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250603172903.htm

"A new study from Pitt researchers challenges a decades-old assumption in neuroscience by showing that the brain uses distinct transmission sites -- not a shared site -- to achieve different types of plasticity. The findings offer a deeper understanding of how the brain balances stability with flexibility, a process essential for learning, memory and mental health.

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"...the researchers applied a chemical that activates otherwise silent receptors on the postsynaptic side. This caused spontaneous activity to increase, while evoked signals remained unchanged -- strong evidence that the two types of transmission operate through functionally distinct synaptic sites.

"This division likely enables the brain to maintain consistent background activity through spontaneous signaling while refining behaviorally relevant pathways through evoked activity. This dual system supports both homeostasis and Hebbian plasticity, the experience-dependent process that strengthens neural connections during learning.

"'Our findings reveal a key organizational strategy in the brain," said Yang. "By separating these two signaling modes, the brain can remain stable while still being flexible enough to adapt and learn.'"

Comment: A different form of plasticity than having new learned materials enlarge an area. It allows the brain an extreme form of plasticity while maintaining an equilibrium for the entire brain.