SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY IN HIPPOCAMPAL INTERNEURONS - A COMMENTARY

The hypothesis that excitatory synapses onto hippocampal inhibitory in terneurons undergo farms of synaptic plasticity similar to that observ ed in principal pyramidal neurons has received much attention in the l ast few years. No general consensus exists, however, concerning the pr esence (or absence) of long-term potentiation and depression in nonpyr amidal neurons. A large source of this disagreement stems from the exp erimental paridigms chosen to elicit synaptic plasticity in the variou s studies, since most of the induction protocols used did not permit t he separation of plasticity occurring on principal cells from possible direct plasticity on the interneurons themselves. In this commentary we discuss some of the issues surrounding these data and also address some of the technical considerations one must address before the prese nce or absence of long-term potentiation in interneurons can be answer ed unequivocally.