Pair recordings reveal all-silent synaptic connections and the postsynaptic expression of long-term potentiation

The activation of silent synapses is a proposed mechanism to account for rapid increases in synaptic efficacy such as long-term potentiation (LTP). Using simultaneous recordings from individual pre- and postsynaptic neurons in organotypic hippocampal slices, we show that two CA3 neurons can be connected entirely by silent synapses. Increasing release probability or application of cyclothiazide does not produce responses from these silent synapses. Direct measurement of NMDAR-mediated postsynaptic responses in all-silent synaptic connections before and after LTP induction show no change in failure rate, amplitude, or area. These data do not support hypotheses that synapse silent results from presynaptic factors or that LTP results from increases in presynaptic glutamate release. LTP is also associated with an increase in postsynaptic responsiveness to exogenous AMPA. We conclude that synapse silence, activation, and expression of LTP are postsynaptic.