Experience-dependent plasticity of dendritic spines in the developing rat barrel cortex in vivo

Lendvai, B., Stern, E. A., Chen, B., Svoboda, K. (April 2000) Experience-dependent plasticity of dendritic spines in the developing rat barrel cortex in vivo. Nature, 404 (6780). pp. 876-881. ISSN 0028-0836

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10786794
DOI: 10.1038/35009107

Abstract

Do changes in neuronal structure underlie cortical plasticity(1,2)? Here we used time-lapse two-photon microscopy(3,4) of pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of developing rat barrel cortex(5) to image the structural dynamics of dendritic spines and filopodia. We found that these protrusions were highly motile: spines and filopodia appeared, disappeared or changed shape over tens of minutes. To test whether sensory experience drives this motility we trimmed whiskers one to three days before imaging. Sensory deprivation markedly (similar to 40%) reduced protrusive motility in deprived regions of the barrel cortex during a critical period around postnatal days (P)11-13, but had no effect in younger (P8-10) or older (P14-16) animals. Unexpectedly, whisker trimming did not change the density, length or shape of spines and filopodia. However, sensory deprivation during the critical period degraded the tuning of layer 2/3 receptive fields. Thus sensory experience drives structural plasticity in dendrites, which may underlie the reorganization of neural circuits.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: CORTICAL PLASTICITY PYRAMIDAL NEURONS VISUAL-CORTEX FIELD CORTEX SYNAPTOGENESIS ORGANIZATION FILOPODIA SYNAPSES DYNAMICS CLOSURE
Subjects: organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > barrel cortex
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > dendritic cells > dendritic spines
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > dendritic cells > dendritic spines
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > dendritic cells > dendritic spines
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
Investigative techniques and equipment > microscopy > flourescence microscopy > two-photon excitation microscopy
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > visual cortex
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Svoboda lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: April 2000
Date Deposited: 30 Jan 2014 21:33
Last Modified: 30 Jan 2014 21:33
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/29387

Actions (login required)

Administrator's edit/view item Administrator's edit/view item
CSHL HomeAbout CSHLResearchEducationNews & FeaturesCampus & Public EventsCareersGiving