POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION IN THE NEOCORTEX OF AWAKE FREELY MOVING RATS

The search for the cellular processes that underlie information storag e within neuronal systems lead to the development of two models of pos t-activation potentiation, long-term potentiation (LTP) and kindling. Both models give rise to a long-lasting increase in synaptic strength and altered unit discharge patterns. The present paper reviews synapti c plasticity in the neocortex of awake freely moving rats following bo th single and multiple sessions of activation with high-frequency, tet anic electrical stimulation. The phenomenology of neocortical post-act ivation potentiation and some possible underlying mechanisms are discu ssed. We speculate that the functional significance of potentiated res ponses may reflect a reorganization of the neocortex in a manner simil ar to those that create and define receptive fields. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.