NMDA receptor kinetics are tuned for spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity

Activation of NMDA receptors by action potentials underlies spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). New data indicates magnesium unblock of these receptors is not instantaneous, and contains a slow component dependent on the timing of depolarisations after glutamate binding. This property enhances the ability of NMDA receptors to act as coincidence detections during STDP