| Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) refers to the way in which certain neurons, especially those in the hippocampus, become much more sensitive to weak stimuli after being exposed to a strong ("potentiating") stimulus. After repeated exposure to strong stimuli, this increased sensitivity can last for weeks or months. Because of this, LTP is believed to be relevant to the formation of long-term memory. If so, it is of great value to the field of cognitive science, since it provides a clear example of how a relatively simple behavior of neurons can be relevant to much more complex brain-processes. LTP is used by proponents of connectionist models, such as Elman, to explain how their models might actually be implemented in the brain. |
