Synapses change in strength following patterns of activity, but in many cases seemingly inactive neighbouring synapses also undergo changes in strength. These heterosynaptic changes occur across developmental time-points in various brain circuits in different species, but their precise molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Additionally, heterosynaptic changes can mirror homosynaptic plasticity or occur in opposition to homosynaptic changes. In this review we consider what useful functionality heterosynaptic dynamics could potentially endow the circuit with, and the underlying signalling events that implement heterosynaptic changes. We discuss what unanswered questions remain, and what the future looks like for understanding the logic of synaptic plasticity.

突触的强度随活动模式而变化，但在许多情况下，看起来不活跃的邻近突触也会发生强度变化。这些异突触变化发生在不同物种中各个大脑回路的发育时间点上，但是它们的精确分子机制尚未得到很好的理解。另外，异突触变化可以反映同突触可塑性或与同突触变化相反。在这篇综述中，我们考虑了异突触动力学可能赋予电路什么有用的功能，以及实现异突触变化的潜在信号事件。我们讨论了尚待解决的问题以及了解突触可塑性逻辑的未来前景。