Abstract
During critical periods of development, experience shapes cortical circuits, resulting in the acquisition of functions used throughout life. The classic example of critical-period plasticity is ocular dominance (OD) plasticity, which optimizes binocular vision but can reduce the responsiveness of the primary visual cortex (V1) to an eye providing low-grade visual input. The onset of the critical period of OD plasticity involves the maturation of inhibitory synapses within V1, specifically those containing the GABAA receptor α1 subunit. Here we show that thalamic relay neurons in mouse dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) also undergo OD plasticity. This process depends on thalamic α1-containing synapses and is required for consolidation of the OD shift in V1 during long-term deprivation. Our findings demonstrate that thalamic inhibitory circuits play a central role in the regulation of the critical period. This has far-reaching consequences for the interpretation of studies investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating critical periods of brain development.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1715-1721 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nature Neuroscience |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 12 |
Early online date | 16 Oct 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |
Funding
We thank C. Lohmann and C. Niell for the critical reading of the manuscript, E. Ruimschotel for technical assistance, and Y. Nakagawa and A. McGee for providing the Olig3-cre mouse line. This project has received funding from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 720270 (HBP SGA1). It was further funded through a grant from AgentschapNL to the NeuroBasic PharmaPhenomics consortium (C.N.L.), a NWO grant (823.02.001) to C.N.L., a grant from Stichting Blindenhulp, a donation from Praktijkgenerator b.v., a Veni grant from the NWO to R.M. (863.12.006) and a Vidi grant from the NWO to J.A.H. (864.10.010).
Funders | Funder number |
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AgentschapNL | |
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 720270 |
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | |
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 823.02.001 |
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
Stichting Blindenhulp | 864.10.010, 863.12.006 |
Stichting Blindenhulp |
Keywords
- Animals
- Critical Period (Psychology)
- Dominance, Ocular
- Electrophysiological Phenomena
- Eye
- Functional Laterality
- Geniculate Bodies
- Journal Article
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Neuronal Plasticity
- Photic Stimulation
- Receptors, GABA-A
- Thalamus
- Vision, Binocular
- Visual Cortex