The frequency-dependent long-term modifications of pharmacologically isolated N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP N M D A ) was studied. Intracellular recordings were obtained from CA1 cells of rat hippocampal slices and in the presence of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (10 μM) and bicuculline (20 μM) which block non-NMDA and GABA A receptors, respectively. Low-frequency stimulation at 5 Hz resulted in a long-term depression (LTD) of EPSP N M D A in 12 of 17 cells. However, when the stimulus frequency was increased to 30 Hz, a long-term potentiation (LTP) of EPSP N M D A was observed in 7 out of 9 cells. The LTD was not affected by pretreating the slices with okadaic acid (0.5-1 μM) suggesting that activation of endogenous protein phosphatase is not responsible for this process. In the presence of l-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (50 μM) or (RS)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (200 μM), 5 Hz tetanization resulted in LTP instead of LTD. These results suggest that activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) is necessary for the induction of EPSP N M D A LTD and blockade of mGluR unmasks a LTP.