A Postnatal Critical Period for Orientation Plasticity in the Cat Visual Cortex (original) (raw)
Related papers
Neuroimage, 2006
To elucidate the effect of visual experience on the development of orientation maps, we conducted intrinsic signal optical imaging of the visual cortex of kittens that were continuously exposed to a single orientation through cylindrical-lens-fitted goggles under a freely moving condition starting at post-natal week 3. We observed a rapid reorganization of orientation maps, characterized by extensive representation of exposed orientations with reduced responsiveness to unexposed orientations. The over-representation of exposed orientation was marked for 1 -2 weeks of goggle rearing. A longer period of goggle rearing, however, decreased the degree of over-representation, which still remained at a remarkable level. Dark rearing episodes daily interleaved between single orientation exposures moderated the overrepresentation effect. Unit recording from goggle-reared kittens showed preferred orientations consistent with optical imaging. Using c-Fos immunoreactivity mapping, we showed that the number of neurons strongly responding to the exposed orientation was 3 times larger in a goggle-reared cat than the number of neurons responding to the vertical orientation in a normal cat. Taken together, these results suggest that the reorganization of orientation maps was caused by the expansion of domains maximally responding to exposed orientation as well as the strong reduction of responses to unexposed orientations. D
Sensitivity Profile for Orientation Selectivity in the Visual Cortex of Goggle-Reared Mice
It has been widely accepted that ocular dominance in the responses of visual cortical neurons can change depending on visual experience in a postnatal period. However, experience-dependent plasticity for orientation selectivity, which is another important response property of visual cortical neurons, is not yet fully understood. To address this issue, using intrinsic signal imaging and two-photon calcium imaging we attempted to observe the alteration of orientation selectivity in the visual cortex of juvenile and adult mice reared with head-mounted goggles, through which animals can experience only the vertical orientation. After one week of goggle rearing, the density of neurons optimally responding to the exposed orientation increased, while that responding to unexposed orientations decreased. These changes can be interpreted as a reallocation of preferred orientations among visually responsive neurons. Our obtained sensitivity profile for orientation selectivity showed a marked peak at 5 weeks and sustained elevation at 12 weeks and later. These features indicate the existence of a critical period between 4 and 7 weeks and residual orientation plasticity in adult mice. The presence of a dip in the sensitivity profile at 10 weeks suggests that different mechanisms are involved in orientation plasticity in childhood and adulthood.
Biological Cybernetics, 1979
Kinetics of the development of orientation tuning are inferred from quantitative analysis of extracellular recordings in the primary visual cortex of normally and dark reared kittens. 712 visual cells were classified in three functional groups: a) non-specific cells, and b) immature cells which are not as orientation selective as c) specific cells. Power regression and covariance analysis indicate that the "critical period" begins before 19 days and that the kinetics of the immature pool are the same in both rearing conditions. A catenary process of development of orientation selectivity is proposed, the immature compartment being a transit pool between non-specific and specific cells. Two sequential stages occur: 1) the realisation of an intrinsic programme of maturation, by which cortical specificity appears at eye opening and increases independently of visual experience 2) a phase of "epigenesis" beginning at 19 days, during which functional modification depends on visual experience.
1979
The developmental properties of 573 neurones havc been investigated in the primary visual cortex of eight binocularly intact and twelve unilaterally enucleatcd kittens. It is shown that removal of one eye at birth alters the devclopmcnt of orientation selectivity observed in the presence or absence of visual experience. In 6-week-old deprivcd kittens, there remain significantly more orientation selective cells in enucleated than in binocularly deprived kittens. These deprivation-resistant cells respond preferentially to horizontal or vertical orientations and are recorded mainly in the cortex contralateral to the remaining eye. In six-week-old kittcns with visual experience, the process of tuning maturation appears to be unaffectcd by unilateral enuclcation at birth. However, a larger over-representation of horizontal and vertical orientation preferences is observed in uniocular kittens than in binocularly intact kittens, suggesting that the development of oblique orientation preference depends upon the presence of binocular afferents in the visual pathway.
1981
The developmental properties of 573 neurones havc been investigated in the primary visual cortex of eight binocularly intact and twelve unilaterally enucleatcd kittens. It is shown that removal of one eye at birth alters the devclopmcnt of orientation selectivity observed in the presence or absence of visual experience. In 6-week-old deprivcd kittens, there remain significantly more orientation selective cells in enucleated than in binocularly deprived kittens. These deprivation-resistant cells respond preferentially to horizontal or vertical orientations and are recorded mainly in the cortex contralateral to the remaining eye. In six-week-old kittcns with visual experience, the process of tuning maturation appears to be unaffectcd by unilateral enuclcation at birth. However, a larger over-representation of horizontal and vertical orientation preferences is observed in uniocular kittens than in binocularly intact kittens, suggesting that the development of oblique orientation preference depends upon the presence of binocular afferents in the visual pathway.
Development of orientation selectivity in ferret visual cortex and effects of deprivation
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 1993
The orientation selectivity of cells in ferret primary visual cortex was studied during normal development and in animals deprived of vision or of visual cortical activity. In normal animals from the age when visual responses were first recorded (postnatal day 23) through postnatal week 5, only about 25% of cells showed orientation-selective responses. By postnatal week 7, cortical responses had matured to an adult-like state, with approximately 75% of cells clearly selective for orientation. This development of orientation selectivity was not merely a reflection of the development of cortical cell responsiveness: at all ages studied, there was no correlation between responsiveness and selectivity. Infusion of TTX into visual cortex to silence neuronal activity completely blocked the maturation of orientation selectivity. Visual deprivation by bilateral lid suture impaired but did not completely block the normal development of orientation selectivity. We conclude that the maturation...
Plasticity of orientation preference maps in the visual cortex of adult cats
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2002
In contrast to the high degree of experience-dependent plasticity usually exhibited by cortical representational maps, a number of experiments performed in visual cortex suggest that the basic layout of orientation preference maps is only barely susceptible to activity-dependent modifications. In fact, most of what we know about activity-dependent plasticity in adults comes from experiments in somatosensory, auditory, or motor cortex. Applying a stimulation protocol that has been proven highly effective in other cortical areas, we demonstrate here that enforced synchronous cortical activity induces major changes of orientation preference maps (OPMs) in adult cats. Combining optical imaging of intrinsic signals and electrophysiological single-cell recordings, we show that a few hours of intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) lead to an enlargement of the cortical representational zone at the ICMS site and an extensive restructuring of the entire OPM layout up to several millimeters away, paralleled by dramatic changes of pinwheel numbers and locations. At the single-cell level, we found that the preferred orientation was shifted toward the orientation of the ICMS site over a region of up to 4 mm. Our results show that manipulating the synchronicity of cortical activity locally without invoking training, attention, or reinforcement, OPMs undergo large-scale reorganization reminiscent of plastic changes observed for nonvisual cortical maps. However, changes were much more widespread and enduring. Such large-scale restructuring of the visual cortical networks indicates a substantial capability for activity-dependent plasticity of adult visual cortex and may provide the basis for cognitive learning processes. ยง To whom reprint requests should be addressed at
Development of Orientation Preference Maps in Area 18 of Kitten Visual Cortex
European Journal of Neuroscience, 1997
The development of orientation preference maps was studied in ferret primary visual cortex using chronic optical imaging of intrinsic signals. The emergence and maturation of the maps were examined over time in single animals. The earliest age at which cortical domains selectively responsive to particular stimulus orientations were observed varied considerably between individuals, from postnatal day 31 to 36. In all cases, the earliest maps seen were low-contrast, with regions of orientation-specific activity that were difficult to distinguish from noise. These early maps matured over a period of several days into the high-contrast, patchy maps typical of adult animals. The structure of the orientation maps was remarkably constant over time. The indistinct features in the earliest maps were always patches of the same sizes and shapes and at the same locations as in the maps obtained in subsequent recording sessions. Details of the more mature maps, including the relative intensities of individual iso-orientation domains, were also constant from one recording session to another over periods of several weeks. The patterning of iso-orientation domains in ferret primary visual cortex thus is established early in development and remains stable over time, unaffected by either normal visual experience or the anatomical rearrangements of geniculocortical afferents into eye-specific domains.