LTP and memory impairment by prolonged exposure to picomolar beta-amyloid

Nerve cells send signals to one another through specialized structures called synapses. The strength of the signal sent through a synapse can change in response to previous events, and such changes are thought to mediate some forms of learning and memory. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an example of an increase in synaptic strength that occurs in response to previous activity at the same synapse. It is widely studied in a part of the brain called the hippocampus.