Since it was first described almost 30 years ago, homeostatic synaptic plasticity (HSP) has been hypothesized to play a key role in maintaining neuronal circuit function in both developing and adult animals. While well characterized in vitro, determining the in vivo roles of this form of plasticity remains challenging. Since the discovery that the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mediates some forms of HSP, it has been possible to probe some of the in vivo contribution of TNF-mediated HSP. Work from our lab and others has found roles for TNF-HSP in a variety of functions, including the developmental plasticity of sensory systems, models of drug addiction, and the response to psychiatric drugs.

自从大约30年前首次对其进行描述以来，已经有人提出，稳态突触可塑性（HSP）在维持发育中和成年动物的神经元回路功能中起关键作用。虽然很好体外，确定 体内这种可塑性的作用仍然具有挑战性。自从发现促炎性细胞因子肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）介导了某些形式的HSP以来，就有可能探究一些HSP。体内TNF介导的HSP的贡献。我们实验室和其他实验室的工作发现TNF-HSP具有多种功能，包括感觉系统的发育可塑性，药物成瘾模型以及对精神药物的反应。