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Updated: Jul 24, 2025
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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
Published on: February 8, 2020
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Visual deprivation during mouse critical period reorganizes network-level functional connectivity
Siyu Chen1,2,3, Rachel M Rahn1,2,3, Annie R Bice1
1Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 3, 2023
Summary
Monocular deprivation (MD) rapidly alters brain networks. Experience-dependent plasticity reshapes visual cortex connectivity and impacts other brain regions, demonstrating dynamic neural reorganization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Experience-dependent plasticity, exemplified by ocular dominance (OD) shifts, alters visual cortex neuron responsiveness after monocular deprivation (MD).
- Previous hypotheses suggested OD shifts modify global neural networks, but empirical evidence was lacking.
Approach:
- Longitudinal wide-field optical calcium imaging was employed to assess resting-state functional connectivity in mice during acute (3-day) MD.
- Changes in delta GCaMP6 power indicated reduced excitatory activity in the deprived visual cortex.
Key Points:
- Interhemispheric visual homotopic functional connectivity significantly decreased due to disrupted visual drive from MD.
- Reductions in visual connectivity were associated with decreased parietal and motor homotopic connectivity.
- Enhanced internetwork connectivity between visual and parietal cortex was observed, peaking at 2 days of MD.
Conclusions:
- Early MD induces dynamic reorganization across disparate functional brain networks, including association cortices.
- Findings support the hypothesis that neural network plasticity extends beyond the primary sensory cortex.
