Is long-term potentiation the same thing as Hebb's rule? · Grey Matter

Hebb's rule (1949) is a principle: a connection that repeatedly helps fire a cell is strengthened.

Is long-term potentiation the same thing as Hebb's rule?

Hebb's rule (1949) is a principle: a connection that repeatedly helps fire a cell is strengthened. LTP, found by Bliss and Lømo in 1973, is a measured phenomenon: synapses become stronger for hours after strong activity. NMDA-dependent LTP has the properties the rule asks for (it needs presynaptic release and postsynaptic depolarisation together, and it is specific to the active synapses), so it is the best candidate mechanism for Hebbian learning. They are still distinct: some forms of LTP are not Hebbian, and the rule as stated says nothing about weakening, which LTD and spike-timing rules add.