Light-induced zif268 expression is dependent on noradrenergic input in rat visual cortex

In the present paper we investigated the role of the noradrenergic projection from the locus coeruleus on the expression of the immediate early gene zif268 in the visual cortex of rats exposed to ambient light stimulation. Local administrations of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a specific toxin directed against the catecholaminergic system, were performed in the locus coeruleus prior to visual stimulation. Animals were stimulated for 2 h by ambient light, after a 2-week dark adaptation period. Sham-operated controls displayed a massive increase in the number of zif268 positive cells after light stimulation. To the contrary, lesioned animals demonstrated a dramatic reduction in the number of zif268 positive nuclei across all cortical layers. A few scattered immunopositive nuclei were identified in cortical layer IV, however, this region also underwent a significant reduction in the number of zif268 immunopositive nuclei. Our results indicate that the noradrenergic system plays an important role in the expression of zif268 in the visual cortex of rats exposed to ambient light after dark isolation.