| Short-term plasticity (STP) ([[#Stevens95|Stevens 95]], [[#Markram96|Markram 96]], [[#Abbott97|Abbott 97]], [[#Zucker02|Zucker 02]], [[#Abbott04|Abbott 04]]), also called dynamical synapses, refers to a phenomenon in which synaptic efficacy changes over time in a way that reflects the history of presynaptic activity. Two types of STP, with opposite effects on synaptic efficacy, have been observed in experiments. They are known as Short-Term Depression (STD) and Short-Term Facilitation (STF). STD is caused by depletion of neurotransmitters consumed during the synaptic signaling process at the axon terminal of a pre-synaptic neuron, whereas STF is caused by influx of calcium into the axon terminal after spike generation, which increases the release probability of neurotransmitters. STP has been found in various cortical regions and exhibits great diversity in properties ([[#Markram98|Markram 98]], [[#Dittman00|Dittman 00]], [[#Wang06|Wang 06]]). Synapses in different cortical areas can have varied forms of plasticity, being either STD-dominated, STF-dominated, or showing a mixture of both forms. | | Short-term plasticity (STP) ([[#Stevens95|Stevens 95]], [[#Markram96|Markram 96]], [[#Abbott97|Abbott 97]], [[#Zucker02|Zucker 02]], [[#Abbott04|Abbott 04]]), also called dynamical synapses, refers to a phenomenon in which synaptic efficacy changes over time in a way that reflects the history of presynaptic activity. Two types of STP, with opposite effects on synaptic efficacy, have been observed in experiments. They are known as Short-Term Depression (STD) and Short-Term Facilitation (STF). STD is caused by depletion of neurotransmitters consumed during the synaptic signaling process at the axon terminal of a pre-synaptic neuron, whereas STF is caused by influx of calcium into the axon terminal after spike generation, which increases the release probability of neurotransmitters. STP has been found in various cortical regions and exhibits great diversity in properties ([[#Markram98|Markram 98]], [[#Dittman00|Dittman 00]], [[#Wang06|Wang 06]]). Synapses in different cortical areas can have varied forms of plasticity, being either STD-dominated, STF-dominated, or showing a mixture of both forms. |