Multiple periods of functional ocular dominance plasticity in mouse visual cortex

Abstract

The precise period when experience shapes neural circuits in the mouse visual system is unknown. We used Arc induction to monitor the functional pattern of ipsilateral eye representation in cortex during normal development and after visual deprivation. After monocular deprivation during the critical period, Arc induction reflects ocular dominance (OD) shifts within the binocular zone. Arc induction also reports faithfully expected OD shifts in cat. Shifts towards the open eye and weakening of the deprived eye were seen in layer 4 after the critical period ends and also before it begins. These shifts include an unexpected spatial expansion of Arc induction into the monocular zone. However, this plasticity is not present in adult layer 6. Thus, functionally assessed OD can be altered in cortex by ocular imbalances substantially earlier and far later than expected.

Synaptic activity-responsive element in the Arc / Arg3.1 promoter essential for synapse-to-nucleus signaling in activated neurons

“…Such sensory manipulation produced unilateral activation of the V1, as visualized by high immunoreactivities of endogenous Arc/Arg-3.1 at layers 2/3 and 4 in the contralateral, but not in the ipsilateral, visual cortex ( Fig. 6B) (21). Consistent with this pattern, we found that the majority (58.3 Ϯ 7.9%) of RFP-positive neurons were GFP-positive in the contralateral hemisphere that received visual inputs, whereas only a small number (19.3 Ϯ 4.4%) of neurons were positive in the ipsilateral hemisphere ( Fig.…”

“…Detailed analyses of Arc/Arg-3.1 expression using in situ hybridization have revealed that Arc/ Arg-3.1 transcription is specifically triggered by task-or sensory input-related information processing in several brain areas, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebral cortex (19)(20)(21). The shortness of SARE sequence allows designing a virus-based tool to monitor Arc/Arg-3.1 expression for both in vitro and in vivo imaging.…”

“…Furthermore, Arc/Arg-3.1 transcription is induced extremely rapidly and Arc/Arg-3.1 mRNA detection, by fluorescence in situ hybridization, has now been validated as a reliable trace of intense synaptic activity within a neuronal ensemble in the hippocampus (e.g., during novelty exposure), in the amygdala (e.g., during acquisition of long-term fear memory), or in the sensory cortices (e.g., after intense sensory experience following sensory deprivation) (19)(20)(21)(22). Despite the growing interest in Arc/Arg-3.1 function, however, surprisingly little is yet known about the genomic mechanism by which acute delivery of synaptic information can be reliably encoded into Arc/Arg-3.1 transcriptional events in the nucleus.…”

Visual Deprivation Modifies Both Presynaptic Glutamate Release and the Composition of Perisynaptic/Extrasynaptic NMDA Receptors in Adult Visual Cortex

“…There is a growing consensus, however, that the adult cortex maintains greater plasticity than originally thought (Kaas, 1991;Buonomano and Merzenich, 1998;Gilbert, 1998;Tagawa et al, 2005). For example, monocular deprivation shifts the ocular dominance of neurons in the primary visual cortex of adult mice, although the manner of the shift differs from that observed in juveniles (Sawtell et al, 2003;Frenkel and Bear, 2004;Pham et al, 2004).…”

Effects of Monocular Deprivation on the Dendritic Features of Retinal Ganglion Cells

“…Monocular eyelid suture results in anatomical changes in the visual cortex in favor of the non-deprived eye (Wiesel & Hubel, 1965;Tagawa et al, 2005;Cang et al, 2005;Hofer et al, 2006;Lehmann & Löwel, 2008). This phenomenon is referred to as ocular dominance plasticity.…”