Visual Deprivation at the Critical Period Modulates Photic Evoked Responses

1995 ◽  
Vol 83 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 241-252
Author(s):  
H. Q. Yan ◽  
M. L. Mazow ◽  
N. Dafny
1995 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 545-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Quyan ◽  
Malcolm L. Mazow ◽  
Nachum Dafny

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (22) ◽  
pp. 5914-5919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhuvanthi Kannan ◽  
Garrett G. Gross ◽  
Don B. Arnold ◽  
Michael J. Higley

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 3063-3076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilo Ferrer ◽  
Helen Hsieh ◽  
Lonnie P. Wollmuth

Parvalbumin-expressing (PV) GABAergic interneurons regulate local circuit dynamics. In terms of the excitation driving PV interneuron activity, the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated component onto PV interneurons tends to be smaller than that onto pyramidal neurons but makes a significant contribution to their physiology and development. In the visual cortex, PV interneurons mature during the critical period. We hypothesize that during the critical period, the NMDAR-mediated signaling and functional properties of glutamatergic synapses onto PV interneurons are developmentally regulated. We therefore compared the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)- and NMDAR-mediated synaptic responses before (postnatal days 15–20, P15–P20), during (P25–P40), and after (P50–P60) the visual critical period. AMPAR miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) showed a developmental decrease in frequency, whereas NMDAR mEPSCs were absent or showed extremely low frequencies throughout development. For evoked responses, we consistently saw a NMDAR-mediated component, suggesting pre- or postsynaptic differences between evoked and spontaneous neurotransmission. Evoked responses showed input-specific developmental changes. For intralaminar inputs, the NMDAR-mediated component significantly decreased with development. This resulted in adult intralaminar inputs almost exclusively mediated by AMPARs, suited for the computation of synaptic inputs with precise timing, and likely having NMDAR-independent forms of plasticity. In contrast, interlaminar inputs maintained a stable NMDAR-mediated component throughout development but had a shift in the AMPAR paired-pulse ratio from depression to facilitation. Adult interlaminar inputs with facilitating AMPAR responses and a substantial NMDAR component would favor temporal integration of synaptic responses and could be modulated by NMDAR-dependent forms of plasticity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show for the first time input-specific developmental changes in the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor component and short-term plasticity of the excitatory drive onto layers 2/3 parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons in the visual cortex during the critical period. These developmental changes would lead to functionally distinct adult intralaminar and interlaminar glutamatergic inputs that would engage PV interneuron-mediated inhibition differently.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 2499-2505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Petrus ◽  
Terence T. Anguh ◽  
Huy Pho ◽  
Angela Lee ◽  
Nicholas Gammon ◽  
...  

Layer 6 (L6) of primary sensory cortices is distinct from other layers in that it provides a major cortical input to primary sensory thalamic nuclei. L6 pyramidal neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) send projections to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), as well as to the thalamic reticular nucleus and higher order thalamic nuclei. Although L6 neurons are proposed to modulate the activity of thalamic relay neurons, how sensory experience regulates L6 neurons is largely unknown. Several days of visual deprivation homeostatically adjusts excitatory synapses in L4 and L2/3 of V1 depending on the developmental age. For instance, L4 exhibits an early critical period during which visual deprivation homeostatically scales up excitatory synaptic transmission. On the other hand, homeostatic changes in L2/3 excitatory synapses are delayed and persist into adulthood. In the present study we examined how visual deprivation affects excitatory synapses on L6 pyramidal neurons. We found that L6 pyramidal neurons homeostatically increase the strength of excitatory synapses following 2 days of dark exposure (DE), which was readily reversed by 1 day of light exposure. This effect was restricted to an early critical period, similar to that reported for L4 neurons. However, at a later developmental age, a longer duration of DE (1 wk) decreased the strength of excitatory synapses, which reversed to normal levels with light exposure. These changes are opposite to what is predicted from the homeostatic plasticity theory. Our results suggest that L6 neurons differentially adjust their excitatory synaptic strength to visual deprivation depending on the age of the animals.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacopo Bono ◽  
Claudia Clopath

AbstractOcular dominance plasticity is a well-documented phenomenon allowing us to study properties of cortical maturation. Understanding this maturation might be an important step towards unravelling how cortical circuits function. However, it is still not fully understood which mechanisms are responsible for the opening and closing of the critical period for ocular dominance and how changes in cortical responsiveness arise after visual deprivation. In this article, we present a theory of ocular dominance plasticity. Following recent experimental work, we propose a framework where a reduction in inhibition is necessary for ocular dominance plasticity in both juvenile and adult animals. In this framework, two ingredients are crucial to observe ocular dominance shifts: a sufficient level of inhibition as well as excitatory-to-inhibitory synaptic plasticity. In our model, the former is responsible for the opening of the critical period, while the latter limits the plasticity in adult animals. Finally, we also provide a possible explanation for the variability in ocular dominance shifts observed in individual neurons and for the counter-intuitive shifts towards the closed eye.


2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 2741-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Constantine-Paton

This essay looks at six APS classic papers published by D. H. Hubel and T. N. Wiesel that first identified a developmental critical period for environment influenced receptive field plasticity in the visual pathway. These classic papers are freely available online. These are listed here, in chronological order. Wiesel TN, Hubel DH. Effects of visual deprivation on morphology and physiology of cells in the cat's lateral geniculate body. J Neurophysiol 26: 978–993, 1963 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/26/6/978 ). Hubel DH, Wiesel TN. Receptive fields of cells in striate cortex of very young, visually inexperienced kittens. J Neurophysiol 26: 994–1002, 1963 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/26/6/994 ). Wiesel TN, Hubel DH. Single-cell responses in striate cortex of kittens deprived of vision in one eye. J Neurophysiol 26: 1003–1017, 1963 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/26/6/1003 ). Wiesel TN, Hubel DH. Comparison of the effects of unilateral and bilateral eye closure on cortical unit responses in kittens. J Neurophysiol 28: 1029–1040, 1965 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/28/6/1029 ). Hubel DH, Wiesel TN. Binocular interaction in striate cortex of kittens reared with artificial squint. J Neurophysiol 28: 1041–1059, 1965 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/28/6/1041 ). Wiesel TN, Hubel DH. Extent of recovery from the effects of visual deprivation in kittens. J Neurophysiol 28: 1060–1072, 1965 ( http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/28/6/1060 ).


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 1962-1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Carrasco ◽  
K. A. Razak ◽  
S. L. Pallas

Sensory deprivation is thought to have an adverse effect on visual development and to prolong the critical period for plasticity. Once the animal reaches adulthood, however, synaptic connectivity is understood to be largely stable. We reported previously that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade in the superior colliculus of the Syrian hamster prevents refinement of receptive fields (RFs) in normal or compressed retinotopic projections, resulting in target neurons with enlarged RFs but normal stimulus tuning. Here we asked whether visually driven activity is necessary for refinement or maintenance of retinotopic maps or if spontaneous activity is sufficient. Animals were deprived of light either in adulthood only or from birth until the time of recording. We found that dark rearing from birth to 2 mo of age had no effect on the timing and extent of RF refinement as assessed with single unit extracellular recordings. Visual deprivation in adulthood also had no effect. Continuous dark rearing from birth into adulthood, however, resulted in a progressive loss of refinement, resulting in enlarged, asymmetric receptive fields and altered surround suppression in adulthood. Thus unlike in visual cortex, early visually driven activity is not necessary for refinement of receptive fields during development, but is required to maintain refined visual projections in adulthood. Because the map can refine normally in the dark, these results argue against a deprivation-induced delay in critical period closure, and suggest instead that early visual deprivation leaves target neurons more vulnerable to deprivation that continues after refinement.


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