Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Maffei, Arianna | Evinger, Leslie | Mendell, Lorne | Fontanini, Alfredo | Van Hooser, Stephen.
Date
2015-08-01
Keywords
Neurosciences | Development, Ocular dominance plasticity, Sensitive period, Visual cortex, Voltage sensitive dye
Department
Department of Neuroscience.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76577
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
After eye opening, rodent visual cortex undergoes a period of rapid changes in cellular and synaptic properties that coincides with the maturation of visual receptive fields. During this developmental window, cortex is particularly sensitive to manipulations in sensory experience. Here, I used voltage sensitive dye imaging in acute cortical slices to show that the maturation of visual cortex is accompanied by changes in the spatio-temporal propagation of activity through the cortical circuit. The developmental alteration in the voltage signal is mediated in part by changes in the components of the signal mediated by NMDA, AMPA and GABAA receptors. Next, I used in vivo whole-cell recordings to examine the responsiveness of visual cortical neurons to flash stimuli and the sensitivity of these responses to manipulation of visual drive. I found that in addition to responding to stimulation of the contralateral eye, the monocular region of visual cortex responded to brief flash stimulation of the ipsilateral eye as well. However, responses to ipsilateral eye stimulation were delayed relative to contralateral eye stimulation, which suggests that these responses have distinct anatomical origins. After a single day of monocular visual deprivation, ipsilateral responses to the open eye were potentiated, leading to a novel form of ocular dominance plasticity. Together, these experiments show plasticity of cortical circuit activation during both healthy and pathological postnatal development. | 128 pages
Recommended Citation
Griffen, Trevor Charles, "Plasticity of Cortical Circuit Activation within the Monocular Region of Primary Visual Cortex of the Rat" (2015). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2471.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2471