AMPA Receptor Trafficking and Synaptic Plasticity

Activity-dependent changes in synaptic function are believed to underlie the formation of memories. Two prominent examples are long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), whose mechanisms have been the subject of considerable scrutiny over the past few decades. Here we review the growing literature that supports a critical role for AMPA receptor trafficking in LTP and LTD, focusing on the roles proposed for specific AMPA receptor subunits and their interacting proteins. While much work remains to understand the molecular basis for synaptic plasticity, recent results on AMPA receptor trafficking provide a clear conceptual framework for future studies.