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Related Experiment Videos

Transient synaptic silencing of developing striate cortex has persistent effects on visual function and plasticity.

Matteo Caleo1, Laura Restani, Laura Gianfranceschi

  • 1Istituto di Neuroscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 56100 Pisa, Italy. caleo@in.cnr.it

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|April 27, 2007
PubMed
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Disrupting neural activity in one brain hemisphere during development permanently impaired vision in both sides. This highlights the crucial role of interhemispheric connections in shaping the developing visual cortex.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Cortical circuits mature during early-life critical periods, influenced by experience and neural activity.
  • The role of intrinsic neural activity in cortical maturation remains under-investigated.
  • Botulinum neurotoxin E (BoNT/E) selectively inhibits neurotransmitter release by cleaving SNAP-25.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of transient, unilateral neural activity blockade on visual cortex maturation.
  • To determine the role of intrinsic activity and interhemispheric communication in sensitive periods of visual development.

Main Methods:

  • Unilateral intracortical injections of botulinum neurotoxin E (BoNT/E) in rat pups at eye opening.
  • BoNT/E induced a reversible blockade of neural activity in the targeted hemisphere for two weeks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessment of visual acuity and ocular dominance plasticity in both hemispheres post-treatment.

    • Main Results:

    • Permanent reduction in visual acuity in the BoNT/E-treated hemisphere.
    • Prolonged critical period for ocular dominance plasticity extending into adulthood.
    • Unexpectedly, similar deficits were observed in the contralateral, uninjected hemisphere.

    Conclusions:

    • Intrinsic neural activity blockade during a sensitive period has lasting effects on visual cortex development.
    • Interhemispheric connections are fundamental for normal cortical maturation, as evidenced by contralateral effects.
    • Experience-dependent plasticity mechanisms are critically dependent on balanced bilateral neural input.