Postsynaptic spiking determines anti-Hebbian LTD in visual cortex basket cells.

Long-term plasticity at pyramidal cell to basket cell (PC → BC) synapses is important for the functioning of cortical microcircuits. It is well known that at neocortical PC → PC synapses, dendritic calcium (Ca) dynamics signal coincident pre-and postsynaptic spiking which in turn triggers long-term potentiation (LTP). However, the link between dendritic Ca dynamics and long-term plasticity at PC → BC synapses of primary visual cortex (V1) is not as well known.