Description:

Pablo Castillo, M.D., Ph.D.
Harold and Muriel Block Chair and Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Abstract:

Long-term synaptic plasticity is critical for experience-induced neural adaptations in the brain. The mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity are diverse and can be typically due to postsynaptic receptor modifications, or changes in neurotransmitter release. While most research has focused on postsynaptic forms of plasticity, much less is known about how neural activity regulates neurotransmitter release in a long-term manner. Importantly, increasing evidence indicates that presynaptic plasticity is a potent regulator of circuit output that underlies several forms of learning. In his talk, Dr. Pablo Castillo (Professor of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine) will discuss recent discoveries on major molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying presynaptic plasticity in the rodent hippocampus.