Gene Expression Patterns Underlying the Reinstatement of Plasticity in the Adult Visual System

The nervous system is highly sensitive to experience during early postnatal life, but this phase of heightened plasticity decreases with age. Recent studies have demonstrated that developmental-like plasticity can be reactivated in the visual cortex of adult animals through environmental or pharmaco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neural transplantation & plasticity 2013-01, Vol.2013 (2013), p.391-398
Main Authors: Tiraboschi, Ettore, Guirado, Ramon, Greco, Dario, Auvinen, Petri, Maya-Vetencourt, José Fernando, Maffei, Lamberto, Castrén, Eero
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Extracellular matrix
Fluoxetine - pharmacology
Gene expression
Gene Expression - drug effects
Gene Expression - physiology
Genetic aspects
Genetic research
Homeostasis
Neurological research
Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
Neuroplasticity
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Sensory Deprivation - physiology
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology
Software
Statistical analysis
Synaptic Transmission - drug effects
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
Transcription factors
Visual cortex
Visual Cortex - drug effects
Visual Cortex - physiology
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Summary:The nervous system is highly sensitive to experience during early postnatal life, but this phase of heightened plasticity decreases with age. Recent studies have demonstrated that developmental-like plasticity can be reactivated in the visual cortex of adult animals through environmental or pharmacological manipulations. These findings provide a unique opportunity to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of adult plasticity. Here we used the monocular deprivation paradigm to investigate large-scale gene expression patterns underlying the reinstatement of plasticity produced by fluoxetine in the adult rat visual cortex. We found changes, confirmed with RT-PCRs, in gene expression in different biological themes, such as chromatin structure remodelling, transcription factors, molecules involved in synaptic plasticity, extracellular matrix, and excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Our findings reveal a key role for several molecules such as the metalloproteases Mmp2 and Mmp9 or the glycoprotein Reelin and open up new insights into the mechanisms underlying the reopening of the critical periods in the adult brain.
ISSN:0792-8483
2090-5904
1687-5443
DOI:10.1155/2013/605079