The cellar basis of memory is thought to lie in synaptic plasticity. Many neurons of the CNS, in response to relatively brief patterns of physiological stimulation, can reset the efficiency of synaptic transmission at individual synapses. Such synaptic plasticity is readily observed in brain regions that are concerned with memory, and shows many characteristics expected of a mechanism for the storage of memories, including persistence and synapse-specificity. A particularly interesting form of synaptic plasticity is long-term potentiation (LTP), which can last for months in the intact animal, and for many hours in the more accessible brain slice preparation. In this laboratory, we study the cellular processes that establish and maintain LTP in the rodent hippocampus. We expect our research to shed light on the mechanisms of normal memory formation, as well as those underlying pathological conditions associated with memory impairment (dementia) and overly-intense memories (post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction).