Authors: Bo Am Seo, Han-Byeol Kim, Chau Cat Tuong, Hong-Rae Kim, Fazliddin Dustov, Seung-Hyun Lee, Se-Young Choi, and Myoung-Goo Kang
Science Advances, 30 July 2025
Scientists use Axion BioSystems’ MEA platform to track neural activity during chemical LTP induction and explore homeostatic plasticity.
Learning and memory depend on strengthening synaptic connections, but unchecked synaptic potentiation can destabilize brain networks. In this study, researchers identified the protein LARGE as a regulator of AMPA receptor trafficking, linking it to long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory formation. Using an Axion BioSystems’ multielectrode array (MEA) system, the researchers found that neural firing rates rose sharply after chemical LTP induction but returned to baseline within six hours, suggesting a homeostatic mechanism to curb excessive activity. On the same timescale, LARGE expression increased while surface GluA1 levels decreased, implicating LARGE in driving homeostatic plasticity by reducing AMPA receptor trafficking to the synaptic surface. These findings suggest that LTP can trigger homeostatic plasticity, highlighting a molecular process that balances memory encoding with neural stability.
