Overview

• Researchers discovered that neurons employ two distinct synaptic plasticity rules across apical and basal dendrites during learning tasks in mice.
• The study used genetically encoded biosensors and two-photon imaging to monitor individual synapses in real time as mice learned a lever-press task.
• Apical dendritic synapses formed task-related functional clusters, while basal synapses showed weaker clustering, highlighting structural specialization in neurons.
• This finding provides a solution to the 'credit assignment problem,' showing neurons perform parallel computations to select which synapses adapt during learning.
• The research has implications for treating brain disorders involving synaptic dysfunction and for designing biologically realistic artificial intelligence systems.