Posterior parietal cortex and cross-modal brain plasticity – A mouse connectomics perspective

One of the best-studies examples of experience- and age- dependent modifications of neuronal circuits in the brain is ocular dominance plasticity. Although it is responsible for the reactivation of the binocular visual cortex after the loss of one eye, it does not explain the recovery of the simultaneously deprived monocular zone. In our mouse model we were able to prove that reactivation of the monocular zone is caused by cross-modal plasticity in adulthood. This is a process where the deprived brain region is taken over by one of the remaining modalities, the somatosensory cortex in our visual deprivation model. The anatomical pathways responsible for this phenomenon are unknown. In this project we want to identify these pathways and look at their effects on the deprived region. Identifying these pathways will give more insight in their exact functional contributions and could open the way for pathway-specific (in)activation to switch the cross-modal plasticity on or off. Determining the effect of cross-modal plasticity on tactile acuity will clarify if this form of plasticity is behaviorally relevant and therefore an entry point towards new treatments for patients with sensory deficits.

Jaar van publicatie:2020

Toegankelijkheid:Closed