In neuroscience, long-term potentiation ( LTP ) is a persistent
strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity. These are
patterns of synaptic activity that produce a long-lasting increase in signal
transmission between two neurons. The opposite of LTP is long-term depression,
which produces a long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength.
It is one of several phenomena underlying synaptic plasticity, the ability of
chemical synapses to change their strength. As memories are thought to be
encoded by modification of synaptic strength, LTP is widely considered one of
the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory.