Assume you are training a dog to blink whenever a tone is played by pairing the

Question

Assume you are training a dog to blink whenever a tone is played by pairing the tone with a puff of air presented to the dog's eye. Assume this is represented in the brain by two synaptic junctions: Synapse 1 connects a somatosensory neuron (detecting the puff of air) with the motor neuron (blink), while Synapse 2 connects a neuron from auditory cortex (tone) with the same motor neuron (blink). Describe the process by which long-term potentiation (LTP) could create a strong synapse out of a weak synapse. In your answer, make sure to include all the physiological changes that occur at the synapse(s) as well as the behavioral changes that will occur.

Explanation / Answer

LTP effects the neuronal synaptic activity. It is the long lasting increase of synaptic strength.

When a weak stimulation of a single pathway is insufficient for production of LTP, simultaneous strong stimulation of another pathway will induce LTP at both ways.

synapse 1 although weak, synapse 2 plays role in increasing LTP.

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