Topic: optical clamp

Sensorimotor learning and adaptation are key cognitive functions that form the hallmark of biological intelligence. Both processes have long been hypothesized to rely on two critical mechanisms: intrinsic plasticity (IP) within individual neurons and synaptic plasticity (SP) between neurons. Multiple forms of SP have been extensively documented to explain and model experience-dependent re-organization of neural circuits that support learning and memory formation. In contrast, the role of IP – exemplified in spike frequency adaptation and after-hyperpolarization—remains largely unknown. It is b