POSSIBLE ROLES OF RETROGRADE MESSENGERS ON LTP, LTD, AND ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY

There are still no clear biophysical models for Associative Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) and Depression (LTD) in the hippocampus, where two populations of synapses targeted to the same receptive field are invol ved. Here we propose a model that allows an interpretation of the expe riments in terms of the molecular processes that may be involved in as sociative memory. The model suggests that retrograde messengers could have a critical role in the induction and maintenance of associative L TP and LTD, by controlling the coupling between the two populations of synapses.