2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Analysis of oligodendrocyte functions for the optic nerve development
Project/Area Number |
20K22691
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Review Section |
0704:Neuroscience, brain sciences, and related fields
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Research Institution | Jichi Medical University |
Principal Investigator |
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Project Period (FY) |
2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
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Keywords | 弱視 / 髄鞘 / オリゴデンドロサイト |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Effects of visual deprivation during an early developmental period in visual pathway structures are unclear. Using mice reared in dark during P19-P32, we analyzed the optic nerve structure of the adult mice that reared in dark during an early developmental period. We found that myelin sheaths on dark-reared mouse optic nerve were shorter than that in normally reared mice. In addition, the axons in optic chiasm tended to be smaller in dark reared mice. These finding indicated that dark rearing during the early developmental period affects the morphology of visual pathway and that cannot be normal, even if mice are reared in normal condition after dark rearing.
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Free Research Field |
神経科学
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
幼少期に何らかの理由で視覚経験が欠如すると、成長してから十分な視覚経験を与えられても視力が正常にならない弱視という疾患になり、メガネなどで矯正することも出来ない。弱視の原因は脳の視覚回路にあると考えられていたが、我々は本研究で幼少期の視覚遮断が脳よりも手前の視神経のレベルで異常をきたすことを明らかにした。この視神経の異常(髄鞘の短縮)が暗所飼育から数週間経過した成熟期で観察されたことから、幼少期の視覚遮断は長期にわたる髄鞘の異常をきたす事が明らかになった。眼からの情報は視神経を介して脳に伝えられるため、視神経での髄鞘の異常は脳回路の形成を阻害している可能性もある。
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