View source for Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity

'''Spike timing-dependent plasticity''' (STDP) is a Hebbian learning rule in which the magnitude and sign of synaptic modification depend on the precise millisecond-scale timing of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. When a presynaptic spike precedes a postsynaptic spike by 10–30 milliseconds, the synapse is potentiated; when the order is reversed, it is depressed. This temporal asymmetry encodes causality at the synaptic level: connections that predict postsynaptic firing are strengthened, connections that follow it are weakened.

STDP transforms [[Synaptic Plasticity|synaptic plasticity]] from a correlation-based mechanism into a prediction-based mechanism. It provides the biophysical substrate for learning temporal sequences, detecting causal structure, and stabilizing [[Temporal Coding|temporal codes]] against noise. The temporal window of STDP — tens of milliseconds — matches the timescale of natural sensorimotor contingencies, suggesting that the rule is tuned to the causal structure of embodied interaction. STDP also connects to [[Reward Prediction Error|reward prediction error]]: dopaminergic signals can gate or modulate STDP, converting local timing rules into global reinforcement learning.

[[Category:Neuroscience]]\n[[Category:Learning]]\n[[Category:Systems]]