MONOAMINERGIC CONTROL OF DEVELOPING VISUAL NEURONS

这项研究的总体目标是建立视觉和视觉之间的联系。 皮质可塑性在出生后的关键时期和中央 含儿茶酚胺体系 作为我们之前发现的延伸 在本主题中，我们将进一步探索恢复皮质的方法， 大脑中的可塑性已经失去了可塑性， 儿茶酚胺能神经末梢的特异性耗竭或简单地 超过了敏感期 为了刺激 β-肾上腺素受体，或者更直接地，腺苷酸环化酶，各种化学 药物将通过一个 长期植入微灌注系统。 为了寻找一种非侵入性的 激活中枢去甲肾上腺素-β-肾上腺素受体-环磷酸腺苷的途径 系统，我们将刺激，电力和化学， 脑干中含有去甲肾上腺素的细胞体 蓝斑，留下完整的视觉皮层 作为一个公认的 视皮层感受野神经元可塑性测定 单个视皮层细胞的特性，特别是双眼性 将在小猫和成年猫单眼遮盖后进行检查。 这些动物将同时接受各种操作 如前所述的中央儿茶酚胺系统。 除了 这些主要的生理学研究， 加强中枢儿茶酚胺系统与视觉的联系 皮质可塑性，我们也想研究这种看似合理的联系， 更大的全球范围。 然后我们将从形态学以及 生物化学上，内源性儿茶酚胺的出生后成熟， 相关受体在猫的视觉皮层，以比较个体发育， 中枢儿茶酚胺系统与视皮层细胞的成熟 以及他们对异常视觉体验的敏感性。

The general goal of this study is to establish the link between visual cortical plasticity during the postnatal critical period and the central catecholamine-containing system. As an extension of our previous findings in this topic, we will further explore means of restoring cortical plasticity in the brain which haf lost plasticity either due to the specific depletion of catecholaminergic nerve terminals or simply outgrowing the susceptible period. In order to stimulate Beta-adrenoreceptors or, more directly, adenylate cyclase, various chemical agents will be delivered continuously into the visual cortex through a chronically implanted microperfusion system. In search for a noninvasive way to activate the central norepinephrine-Beta-adrenoreceptors-cyclic AMP system, we will stimulate, electrically and chemically, the norepinephrine-containing cell bodies in the brainstem at the locus coeruleus, leaving the visual cortex totally intact. As a well-established assay for neuronal plasticity in the visual cortex, receptive field properties, binocularity in particular, of single visual cortical cells will be examined following monocular occlusion in kittens and adult cats. These animals will be concurrently subjected to a variety of manipulations of the central catecholamine system as mentioned above. In addition to these primarily physiological studies which are precisely designed to tighten up the link between the central catecholamine system and visual cortical plasticity, we want also to study this plausible link in a much more global scope. We will then study, morphologically as well as biochemically, the postnatal maturation of endogenous catecholamines and related receptors in the cat visual cortex so as to compare ontogeny in the central catecholamine system with the maturation of visual cortical cells and their susceptibility to abnormal visual experience.