Neurons talk to each other

Synaptic Plasticity

Heterosynaptic Plasticity occurs when activity in another (modulatory) neuron either increases (i.e., pre-synaptic inhibitiion) or decreases (i.e., pre-synaptic facilitation) synaptic strength.

Hebb's Rule: When neurons frequently excite each other, the strength of their connection increases and they become functionally linked. Thus initial structure in firing patterns is able to organize the way cell assemblies function together when they process sensory information or produce long term memory.

Long-term Potentiation (LTP): An enduring increase in synaptic efficacy that results from high-frequency stimulation of an afferent (input) pathway