Sequential development of long-term potentiation and depression in different layers of the mouse visual cortex

Visual deprivation affects the responses of layer IV cells more prominently during early postnatal development, whereas responses in layer II/III remain modifiable until later ages. We examined whether these laminar differences correlate with changes in long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of the ascending pathways to layers IV and II/III in the mouse visual cortex. Our analysis revealed that LTP and LTD in layer IV principal cells is lost shortly after the eyes open, but persists in layers II/III beyond puberty. These results suggest that plasticity proceeds sequentially through cortical layers in a manner that parallels the flow of information during sensory processing.