Dopamine and Synaptic Tagging and Capture: A Neuromodulatory Interplay That Shapes Associative Plasticity

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in regulating diverse functions, such as motor control, mood, sleep, attention, reward systems, reinforcing behavior, and certain higher cognitive functions. Physiological and behavioral evidence indicates that dopamine receptor signaling has been shown to modulate hippocampus-dependent synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. Although the role of dopamine in regulating the hippocampus is well-established, the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms by which dopamine coordinates these processes in the hippocampus are not yet fully understood. This chapter presents a concise overview of dopaminergic neuromodulation required for the establishment of hippocampal late LTP (L-LTP) and its late-associative processes such as synaptic tagging and capture (STC) in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Additionally, the source of dopaminergic signals in the hippocampus and the mechanism by which dopamine neuromodulation induces the synthesis of plasticity-related proteins (PRPs) is detailed, along with its involvement in establishing STC.