The BCM theory of synapse modification at 30: interaction of theory with experiment

The BCM theory of synaptic plasticity is now 30 years old. In this Perspective article, Cooper and Bear discuss how this theory has advanced our understanding of synaptic plasticity, learning and memory and highlight the important role that theory can have in neuroscience research. Thirty years have passed since the publication of Elie Bienenstock, Leon Cooper and Paul Munro''s ''Theory for the development of neuron selectivity: orientation specificity and binocular interaction in visual cortex'', known as the BCM theory of synaptic plasticity. This theory has guided experimentalists to discover some fundamental properties of synaptic plasticity and has provided a mathematical structure that bridges molecular mechanisms and systems-level consequences of learning and memory storage.