Home › Research › Disease mechanisms
Long-term potentiation in the hippocampus: From magnesium to memory
Graham L Collingridge. Neuroscience, 2024-11-29
Topic: Disease mechanisms in lab and animal studies
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a widely studied phenomenon since the underlying molecular mechanisms are widely believed to be critical for learning and memory and their dysregulation has been implicated in many brain disorders affecting cognitive functions. Central to the induction of LTP, in most pathways that have been studied in the mammalian CNS, is the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). Philippe Ascher discovered that the NMDAR is subject to a rapid, highly voltage-dependent block by Mg2+. Here I describe how my own work on NMDARs has been so profoundly influenced by this seminal discovery. This personal reflection describes how the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of NMDARs was a crucial component of the understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of LTP. It explains how this unusual molecular mechanism underlies the Hebbian nature of synaptic plasticity and the hallmark features of NMDAR-LTP (input specificity, cooperativity and associativity). Then the role of the Mg2+ block of NMDARs is discussed in the context of memory and dementia. In particular, the idea that alterations in the voltage-dependent block of the NMDAR is a component of cognitive decline during normal ageing and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, is discussed.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Collingridge, G. L. (2025). Long-term potentiation in the hippocampus: From magnesium to memory. Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.11.069
Vancouver
Collingridge GL. Long-term potentiation in the hippocampus: From magnesium to memory. Neuroscience. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.11.069. PMID: 39615648.
BibTeX
@article{collingridge2025-39615648,
author = {Collingridge, Graham L},
title = {{Long-term potentiation in the hippocampus: From magnesium to memory}},
journal = {Neuroscience},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.11.069},
pmid = {39615648},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.11.069}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Here I describe how my own work on NMDARs has been so profoundly influenced by this seminal discovery.
- This personal reflection describes how the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of NMDARs was a crucial component of the understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of LTP.
- It explains how this unusual molecular mechanism underlies the Hebbian nature of synaptic plasticity and the hallmark features of NMDAR-LTP (input specificity, cooperativity and associativity).
- Then the role of the Mg2+ block of NMDARs is discussed in the context of memory and dementia.
- In particular, the idea that alterations in the voltage-dependent block of the NMDAR is a component of cognitive decline during normal ageing and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, is discussed.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39615648) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related studies in Disease mechanisms
Also tagged “dendritic”
287 studies in the library carry the topic tag “dendritic”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 287 tagged studies.