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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

A Highly Reproducible and Straightforward Method to Perform In Vivo Ocular Enucleation in the Mouse after Eye Opening

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Postnatal expression profile of OBCAM implies its involvement in visual cortex development and plasticity.

P Li¹, S S Prasad, D E Mitchell

¹Brain Research Center, Neuroscience Graduate Program, and Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|May 20, 2005

Summary

Opioid-binding cell adhesion molecule (OBCAM) expression is high in young cats and decreases with age. Dark rearing increases OBCAM-positive neurons, suggesting a role in visual cortex development and plasticity.

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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

The primary visual cortex undergoes significant development and plasticity postnatally.
Cell adhesion molecules play crucial roles in neuronal development and circuit formation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the expression patterns of opioid-binding cell adhesion molecule (OBCAM) in the developing cat visual cortex.
To explore the influence of visual experience on OBCAM expression.

Main Methods:

cDNA array analysis to assess mRNA expression levels.
Immunocytochemistry to visualize OBCAM protein localization and neuronal expression.
Comparison between normally reared and dark-reared animals.

Main Results:

OBCAM expression (mRNA and protein) was significantly higher in young cats compared to older and adult cats.
OBCAM immunoreactivity was localized to pyramidal neurons in all cortical layers, primarily on perikarya and dendrites.
Dark rearing from birth led to a higher number of OBCAM-immunopositive neurons in the visual cortex of 4-month-old cats compared to normally reared controls.

Conclusions:

OBCAM expression in the visual cortex is developmentally regulated, decreasing with age.
Visual experience, specifically the absence of light, influences OBCAM expression.
OBCAM is implicated in the developmental plasticity of the visual cortex.