Challenges to elucidate the role of ocular dominance columns for visual perception and to progress the study of OD plasticity in mouse

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The aim of this project is elucidating the role of ocular dominance(OD) columns during the depth perception. The mouse, devoid of OD columns, is normally weak in discriminating the visual distance. We originally found that a short form of molecular chaperone, which has a neurite-promoting activity, showed specific expression to the ipsilateral OD columns of the developing visual cortex in higher mammals. To directly test the role of OD columns in the depth perception, I am now investigating whether overexpression of ispilateral OD column-specific chaperone can induce OD columns in mouse visual cortex and, moreover, whether this mouse can show increased ability to discriminate the visual distance.