Neural activity for the experience-dependent plasticity in the visual cortex

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Mesoscopic neurocircuitry: towards understanding of the functional and structural basis of brain information processing
• Project/Area Number: 22115010
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Tottori University
• Principal Investigator: HATA Yoshio 鳥取大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (40212146)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚系 / 可塑性 / 神経回路 / 臨界期

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I determined when during the critical period of postnatal life monocular visual deprivation induces rearrangement of thalamocortical axons and whether endocannabinoid system contributes to the ocular dominance plasticity in the visual system. The rearrangement of thalamocortical axons was observed at the late phase of the critical period but not at the peak of it. Also, I found that a pharmacological inhibition of diacylglycerol-α;, which is a synthetic enzyme of an endocannabinoid 2-AG, or knockout of the enzyme disturbs ocular dominance plasticity, suggesting a pivotal role of endocannabinoid system in the ocular dominance plasticity. Furthermore, I developed a novel gene transfer technique to a few neurons in the identified brain region of postnatal animals, which enables to explore mechanisms of neural circuit plasticity in various animal species.

Free Research Field

発達神経科学