Hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognition

Discoveries made over the past 20 years have greatly improved our understan ding of how the brain functions. This article focuses on the relation betwe en memory and cellular mechanisms of neuronal and synaptic plasticity in th e hippocampus. Several studies indicate that the hippocampal formation is a crucial element of the neurobiological bases of higher cognitive function. Severe damage to the hippocampal formation is known to produce seemingly p ermanent anterograde amnesia. A generally accepted hypothesis in neurobiolo gy has been that long-lasting activity-dependent changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain are considered to be of funda mental importance for the development of neural circuitry and for the stora ge of information. The most compelling and reliable model for such changes has been long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the hippocampus. Therefore, the possibility of the discovery and development o f compounds that, by modulating hippocampal synaptic plasticity, would be u seful for the management of dementia and amnesia.