Exploratory models of cortical consolidation

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Summary Ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) is a canonical form of synaptic plasticity in vivo triggered by monocular deprivation (MD). It has provided crucial insights into how visual circuits develop and remodel in early life. We have shown that ODP in cats is enhanced by sleep. Our goal is to more completely identify the underlying mechanisms and the brain states in which they occur. To achieve this goal we will develop a new mouse- based model of sleep-dependent ODP. MD in mice triggers physiological and morphological changes in cortical circuits similar to those described in carnivore species. However, unlike carnivore species, molecular techniques used to visualize neuronal activity and measure mRNA are widely used in mice. There are currently no studies that have exploited this model system to identify how experience and sleep influence ODP. In this exploratory proposal, we will use a novel combination of polysomnography and calcium- fluorescence based microscopy in vivo to record plastic changes in visual cortical neurons across sleep and wakefulness. We will also use Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) technology combined with microarray and RNAseq to isolate changes in the transcriptome that occur in the sleeping, remodeling visual cortex. The results of these investigations will provide the foundation for a larger investigation of how experience and sleep shape the developing brain.