Abstract
Metaplasticity describes a family of phenomena in which synaptic plasticity is modulated by prior neural activity. It can be induced by synaptic activity, pharmacological stimulation, or by behavioral stimuli such as learning and stress. The induction of metaplasticity relies upon several types of neurotransmitter receptor, in particular N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors, in conjunction with a variety of intracellular signalling mechanisms. Metaplasticity can be mediated by a change in the function, expression or location of synaptic proteins, such as receptors and enzymes, or by more cell-wide alterations such as cell excitability.