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INTRODUCTION: GABAergic (inhibitory) interneurons are critical for information processing in the brain during learning and memory and also undergo learning‑dependent plastic changes. However, the exact mechanisms of learning-evoked changes in the GABAergic system are not fully explored. Inhibitory interneurons constitute about twenty percent of all cortical neurons and are highly heterogeneous, creating functional classes based on their molecular, electrophysiological, and morphological features, as well as connectivity and patterns of activity. According to molecular markers, three main groups of interneurons were discovered in the neocortex: SST (somatostatin-), PV (parvalbumin-), and VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide‑) expressing cells. AIM(S): The aim of the project was to study effects of associative learning on SST interneuron activity in the somatosensory cortex of mice. METHOD(S): Transgenic mice with fluorescently labeled SST interneurons were subjected to a conditioning procedure in which whisker stimulation was paired with a tail shock. As a control group, we used naïve mice and mice subjected to stimulation of vibrissae and a tail shock given at random relative to whisker stocking (pseudoconditioning). After learning, we prepared acute brain slices and performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in SST interneurons of layer IV in the cortical representation of the whiskers stimulated during the learning protocol. RESULTS: We found an increase in intrinsic excitability of SST interneurons after conditioning. Spontaneous activity of SST neurons as well as sEPSCs recorded in SST neurons were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the increase in SST intrinsic excitability is a common mechanism of plastic changes after learning. Literature data shows that learning increases intrinsic excitability of hippocampal SST interneurons. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: National Science Centre UMO‑2015/18/E/NZ4/00721 to J.U.C.