Gene expression studies indicate that during activity-dependent developmental plasticity, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation causes a Ca(2+)-dependent increase in expression of transcription factors and their downstream targets. The products of these plasticity genes then operate collectively to bring about the structural and functional changes that underlie ocular dominance plasticity in...

Neuronal plasticity allows the central nervous system to learn skills and remember information, to reorganize neuronal networks in response to environmental stimulation, and to recover from brain and spinal cord injuries. Neuronal plasticity is enhanced in the developing brain and it is usually adaptive and beneficial but can also be maladaptive and responsible for neurological disorders in som...

Dopamine (DA) is involved in learning and memory formation, which are thought to depend on synaptic modifications like long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Despite huge efforts to unravel the dopaminergic impact on these functions, the respective knowledge is still far from being complete. This might especially be due to the neuromodulatory impact of DA on cortical funct...

Sitobion avenae (F.) can survive on various plants in the Poaceae, which may select for highly plastic genotypes. But phenotypic plasticity was often thought to be non-genetic, and of little evolutionary significance historically, and many problems related to adaptive plasticity, its genetic basis and natural selection for plasticity have not been well documented. To address these questions, cl...

The effect of early experience is a long-standing concern in developmental psychology. Gaining further insight into the nature of human plasticity is central to efforts to prevent problems in development from arising and promote positive functioning. Evolutionary reasoning suggests that children should vary in their susceptibility to environmental influences, including parenting. Evidence indic...