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From visual experience to visual function: roles of neurotrophins
1Istituto di Neurofísiologia del CNR e Scuola Normale Superiore, Via S. Zeno 51, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Journal of Neurobiology
|September 30, 1999
Summary
Neurotrophins like NGF and BDNF are crucial for visual cortex development and plasticity. This review details their roles in regulating neural targets, offering insights into visual system development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Neurobiology
Background:
- Neurotrophins regulate cortical developmental plasticity.
- Nerve growth factor (NGF) has known actions in rat visual cortical development.
- Other neurotrophins also impact visual cortex plasticity in various mammals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review early data on NGF in rat visual cortex development and plasticity.
- To present new data on NGF, BDNF, NT3, and NT4 in rat visual cortex.
- To clarify differences in neurotrophin actions across different animal models.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on neurotrophins and visual cortex plasticity.
- Experimental investigation of NGF, BDNF, NT3, and NT4 in rat visual cortex.
- Analysis of neurotrophin effects on specific neural targets within the visual cortex.
Main Results:
- Neurotrophins exhibit distinct roles in regulating visual cortical development and plasticity.
- Specific neurotrophins act on different neural targets, including LGN afferents, intracortical circuitry, and subcortical afferents.
- New data provides a clearer understanding of neurotrophin actions in the rat visual cortex.
Conclusions:
- Different neurotrophins play specific roles in visual cortical development and plasticity.
- Neurotrophin actions are mediated through distinct neural targets.
- A physiological model is proposed to summarize the complex actions of neurotrophins in the visual cortex.