Striatal endocannabinoids drive one-shot learning.

Striatal endocannabinoid-mediated long-term potentiation (eCB-LTP) enables one-shot learning in mice, with a single contact inducing plasticity and memory formation.

• Why it matters: Understanding how the brain supports rapid learning after a single event is crucial for insights into behavioral flexibility and memory processes, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
• What they did: Researchers developed a one-shot behavioral test—the sticky tape avoidance test—and used in vivo, ex vivo electrophysiology, and computational modeling to show brief contacts induce eCB-LTP and cortical-striatal activity patterns, with disruptions impairing learning.
• The result: Disrupting eCB-LTP impairs one-shot learning, emphasizing the importance of nonclassical plasticity mechanisms in forming memories after a single experience.