Plasticity of Cortical Excitatory-Inhibitory Balance

By Robert Froemke. 2015

443 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Synapses are highly plastic and are modified by changes in patterns of neural activity or sensory experience. Plasticity of cortical excitatory synapses is thought to be important for learning and memory, leading to alterations in sensory representations and cognitive maps. However, these changes must be coordinated across other synapses within local circuits to preserve neural coding schemes and the organization of excitatory and inhibitory inputs, i.e., excitatory-inhibitory balance. Recent studies indicate that inhibitory synapses are also plastic and are controlled directly by a large number of neuromodulators, particularly during episodes of learning. Many modulators transiently alter excitatory-inhibitory balance by decreasing inhibition, and thus disinhibition has emerged as a major mechanism by which neuromodulation might enable long-term synaptic modifications naturally. This review examines the relationships between neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity, focusing on the induction of long-term changes that collectively enhance cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance for improving perception and behavior.

Subfields: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

In Cognitive Neuroscience

Citations in the corpus

Dendritic cortical microcircuits approximate the backpropagation algorithm (2018, background): “We propose that the emergence of this state could occur during development, consistent with experimental ﬁndings (Dorrn et al., 2010; Froemke, 2015).”
Relating ADHD to the aperiodic component of the EEG signal in both males and females across development (2026, unknown): “The ratio of excitation and inhibition plays a broad and important role in perception, cognition and behaviour (Froemke, 2015).”
Resting-state EEG correlates of sustained attention in healthy ageing: Cross-sectional findings from the LEISURE study. (2024, background): “The balance between excitation and inhibition is essential for maintaining the dynamic range of neural responses (Froemke, 2015; Vogels et al., 2011), a fundamental aspect that underpins cognitive adaptability and the efficiency of attentional networks.”
The development of oscillatory and aperiodic resting state activity is linked to a sensitive period in humans (2023, methodology): “Changes in E/I balance due to congenital visual deprivation are compatible with a large body of research in non-human animal models demonstrating that the timing of sensitive periods is controlled by the maturation of inhibitory circuits (Hensch, 2005; Froemke, 2015).”
Neurochemistry of Visual Attention (2021, background): “Neuromodulators most often implicated in attentional processes include ACh and dopamine (Noudoost and Moore, 2011; Froemke, 2015; Thiele and Bellgrove, 2018).”