Since its discovery, spike timing-dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) has been thought to be a primary mechanism underlying the brain’s ability to learn and to form new memories. However, despite the enormous interest in both the experimental and theoretical neuroscience communities in activity-dependent plasticity, it is still unclear whether plasticity rules inferred from in vitro experiments apply to in vivo conditions. Among the multiple reasons why plasticity rules in vivo might differ significantly from in vitro studies is that extracellular calcium concentration use in most studies is higher than concentrations estimated in vivo. STDP, like many forms of long-term synaptic plasticity, strongly depends on intracellular calcium influx for its induction. Here, we discuss the importance of considering physiological levels of extracellular calcium concentration to study functional plasticity.

自发现以来，尖峰时间依赖性突触可塑性 (STDP) 一直被认为是大脑学习和形成新记忆能力的主要机制。然而，尽管实验和理论神经科学界都对活动依赖性可塑性产生了极大的兴趣，但仍不清楚可塑性规则是否从体外 实验适用于 体内状况。在可塑性规则的多种原因中体内 可能与 体外 研究表明，大多数研究中使用的细胞外钙浓度高于估计的浓度 体内. STDP 与许多形式的长期突触可塑性一样，强烈依赖于细胞内钙的流入。在这里，我们讨论了考虑细胞外钙浓度生理水平以研究功能可塑性的重要性。