Synaptic Plasticity in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Synaptic plasticity represents the neural basis of learning and memory, and is required for adaptative behaviour. Since the seminal paper from Bliss and Lomo (1973) which described hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), several forms of LTP and long-term depression (LTD) have been discovered and characterized in different brain regions. Moreover, it is now clear that synaptic plasticity is compromised in experimental models of intellectual disabilities such as down syndrome (DS), fragile X, or Rett syndrome; in neurodegenerative brain diseases as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD); and in other brain disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), to list just a few examples.

This Special Issue will focus on: (1) the molecular basis of the different forms of synaptic plasticity in the context of the healthy brain, and (2) the plasticity alterations found in brain diseases and disorders, with special interest in the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms affected. Understanding synaptic plasticity in health and disease could help to identify key targets, as a first step for developing pharmacological treatments aimed to improve learning/memory in individuals affected by those brain disorders/diseases.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to): molecular mechanisms of plasticity, synaptic proteomics in plasticity, proteomics and electrophysiological studies in models of DS, fragile X, Rett syndrome, ASD, AD, PD and other brain disorders/diseases with affected plasticity.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. María Luz Montesinos
Guest Editor

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• LTP
• LTD
• plasticity-signaling pathways
• electrophysiology
• learning
• memory
• intellectual disability
• brain disorders
• synaptic plasticity