Experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in neocortex

The organism's ability to adapt to the changing sensory environment is due in part to the ability of the nervous system to change with experience. Input and synapse specific Hebbian plasticity, such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), are critical for sculpting the nervous system to wire its circuit in tune with the environment and for storing memories. However, these synaptic plasticity mechanisms are innately unstable and require another mode of plasticity that maintains homeostasis to allow neurons to function within a desired dynamic range. Several modes of homeostatic adaptation are known, some of which work at the synaptic level. This review will focus on the known mechanisms of experience-induced homeostatic synaptic plasticity in the neocortex and their potential function in sensory cortex plasticity.This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity’.

► Sensory cortices require homeostasis.
► Both excitatory and inhibitory synapses adapt to sensory deprivation.
► Mechanisms of homeostatic synaptic changes are laminar and age specific.
► Homeostatic synaptic plasticity is integral to normal cortical function.