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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Brain Dev. 2008 May 19;31(1):1–10. doi: 10.1016/j.braindev.2008.03.014

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Long term potentiation (LTP) is a form of synaptic plasticity that increases the strength of synapses, and it is a physiological correlate of memory. NMDA receptor activation is necessary for LTP, and it stimulates insertion of more AMPA receptors into the synaptic membrane. Activation of NMDA receptors also stimulates the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which also enhances insertion of NMDA receptors. Stimulation of mGluR5 receptors regulates protein translation and antagonizes LTP by stimulating trafficking of AMPA receptors away from the synapse into the cytoplasm. This increases long term depression (LTD).