2-Photon Imaging of synaptic remodeling in visual cortex

描述(申请人提供)：这项建议旨在以小鼠视皮层的眼优势可塑性为模型系统，研究哺乳动物大脑的解剖可塑性和功能可塑性之间的关系。在出生后早期发育期间遮住眼睛会导致被剥夺的眼睛迅速丧失视力。眼优势可塑性中突触改变的位置和方式是系统神经科学中的一个突出问题。最近的证据表明，最早的变化发生在初级视觉皮质的浅层(L1/L11层)，那里的一些连接似乎以快速的时间尺度(&lt；2天)重新连接。通过使用新的成像技术，促进活着的大脑中单个轴突的慢性成像，我的目标是进一步研究视觉剥夺刺激L1/L11层突触连接的快速重排的假设。同时，我将使用内部信号成像来跟踪包含研究轴突的皮质区域的眼睛优势。我计划应用这些技术来研究抑制在开启眼优势可塑性关键期中的作用。总而言之，这项工作很可能有助于阐明皮质可塑性的解剖学基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal aims to investigate the relationship between the anatomical and functional plasticity of mammalian brain using ocular dominance plasticity in mouse visual cortex as a model system. Occluding an eye during early postnatal development leads to a rapid loss of vision through the deprived eye. The location and means of synaptic change in ocular dominance plasticity is a major outstanding problem in systems neuroscience. Recent evidence suggests that the earliest changes occur in the superficial layers (layer ll/lll) of primary visual cortex where some connections appear to rewire on a rapid timescale (< 2 days). By using new imaging techniques that facilitate the chronic imaging of single axons in the living brain, I aim to investigate further the hypothesis that visual deprivation stimulates a rapid rearrangement of synaptic connections in layer ll/lll. At the same time, I will use intrinsic signal imaging to keep track of the ocular dominance of the cortical territory containing the axons of study. I plan to apply these techniques to study the role of inhibition in opening the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity. Altogether, it is likely that this work will help elucidate the anatomical underpinnings of cortical plasticity.