Wolstencroft Lecture 2013

“The Mechanics of Memory”

Professor Tim Bliss
Division of Neurophysiology
National Institute for Medical Research

For the last four decades LTP has been the dominant model of how information might be stored in the mammalian brain. In the process much has been learnt about the physiology and molecular biology of synaptic plasticity, but the exact relationship between LTP and learning remains elusive. I will discuss the historical background leading up to the discovery of LTP, go on to consider recent evidence which challenges the view that LTP is primarily expressed as a postsynaptic change, and conclude by discussing the experimental approaches that are being adopted to settle the still incompletely resolved issue of whether LTP provides the neural substrate for memory.

This lecture is open to all, pre-registration is not required.