Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
08:42
Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
Published on: February 8, 2020
11.4K
Enhancement of visual cortex plasticity by dark exposure
Irina Erchova1, Asta Vasalauskaite1, Valentina Longo1
1School of Biosciences and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK.
Summary
A week of dark exposure (DE) in mice modestly enhanced visual cortex plasticity, slightly speeding recovery from monocular deprivation (MD). However, long-term recovery levels and neuronal selectivity remained similar between groups.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual System Plasticity
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Dark rearing delays critical period plasticity in the visual cortex.
- Dark exposure (DE) may enhance or reinstate plasticity by altering excitatory-inhibitory balance or removing structural brakes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate DE effects on recovery from monocular deprivation (MD) in juvenile mouse V1.
- Assess DE's impact on ocular dominance and neuronal selectivity recovery.
Main Methods:
- Optical imaging of intrinsic signals to measure ocular dominance.
- Two-photon calcium imaging to assess orientation selectivity of excitatory neurons.
- Analysis of parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneuron plasticity and perineuronal net association.
Main Results:
- DE mice showed slightly faster ocular dominance recovery post-MD, but overall recovery levels were similar after three weeks.
- No significant difference in orientation selectivity recovery for excitatory neurons between DE and non-DE groups.
- PV+ interneurons showed less ocular dominance shift during MD, with no recovery differences. DE reduced perineuronal nets around PV+ cells.
Conclusions:
- Dark exposure provides a modest enhancement of visual cortex plasticity in mice.
- DE may facilitate plasticity by reducing structural constraints like perineuronal nets.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and long-term effects of DE on visual plasticity.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
2.2K
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
2.2K
01:22Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
10.4K
At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category,...
10.4K
00:58Plasticity
3.2K
Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...
3.2K
01:24Vision
60.9K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
60.9K