Consolidation & Reconsolidation · The Labile Synapse

SYNAPTIC CONSOLIDATION — LTP, PROTEIN SYNTHESIS, AND THE RECONSOLIDATION WINDOW

01 · ACQUIRE
02 · EARLY-LTP
03 · CONSOLIDATE
04 · STABLE
05 · RETRIEVE
06 · RECONSOLIDATE
Acquisition · glutamate release and NMDA-gated Ca²⁺ influxPRESYNAPTICTERMINALSYNAPTIC CLEFTDENDRITICSPINENUCLEUS· SOMAGluNMDACa²⁺CaMKIIPKA · ERKCRECREBIEGs · Arc · Zif268MEMORY STRENGTHLABILE
Coincident pre- and postsynaptic activity opens NMDA receptors; Ca²⁺ enters the spine.

A new memory is at first labile. NMDA-gated Ca²⁺ entry activates CaMKII and inserts AMPA receptors (early LTP, no new protein), while PKA and ERK carry the signal to the nucleus, where CREB drives the genes whose products structurally stabilize the synapse (late LTP, consolidation). Retrieval can return a consolidated trace to a labile state that again requires protein synthesis to persist (reconsolidation). Blocking translation with anisomycin in either window prevents stabilization; without reactivation it does not.

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References: Bliss & Collingridge (1993) · Lisman et al. (2002) · Bourtchuladze et al. (1994) · Kandel (2001) · McGaugh (2000) · Nader, Schafe & LeDoux (2000) · Lee, Everitt & Thomas (2004) · Tronson & Taylor (2007) · Dudai & Eisenberg (2004)