Homeostatic plasticity: comparing and contrasting cortical and hippocampal studies. A review.

Abstract

Homeostatic plasticity is an important physiological process in the mammalian nervous system. In this review, we discuss methodological and mechanistic similarities and differences in cortical and hippocampal studies of homeostatic plasticity. Although there are many similarities, there are also region-specific differences in the effects and/or mechanisms that regulate homeostatic plasticity in these two regions. In this review, we propose a new experimental paradigm to study homeostatic plasticity that may address some unanswered questions in the field.