Editorial: Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity: From Synaptic Circuit Assembly to Neurological Disorders

[...]as it is often the case for epilepsy, ASD or addiction, homeostatic plasticity can become maladaptive. Homeostatic compensations are often presented as relatively slow processes developing in response to prolonged perturbations of neuronal activity and relying on the synthesis of new proteins that regulate key physiological parameters, such as synaptic efficacy, synapse number and membrane excitability. [...]external genetic interventions (e.g., by enhancing the expression of the potassium channel Kv1.1) may push back neural networks within their physiological boundaries and allow them to take back control of their own homeostasis. In their review, the authors highlight the possible role of weight-dependent heterosynaptic plasticity in normalizing the excitatory drive to hippocampal inhibitory neurons. Besides synapse-specific mechanisms, mounting evidence point to both permissive and instructive roles of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and glial cells in homeostatic plasticity.