Sleep and neural plasticity in developing neocortex

描述（由申请人提供）： 本申请提出了神经生理学研究，以确定睡眠在哺乳动物视觉皮层的发育和可塑性中的作用。 我们以前的研究表明，在猫视觉发育的关键时期，睡眠在单眼剥夺（MD）引起的可塑性中起着重要作用。这些研究结果表明，睡眠在发育中的大脑中起着重要作用，对我们理解皮层可塑性、学习和记忆以及睡眠的功能具有重要意义。 除了提供对这些研究领域的见解外，拟议的研究还应提供有关睡眠在人类神经发育中的作用以及睡眠不足对发育中大脑的长期后果的重要信息。 这些研究的总体目标是确定快速眼动（REM）和非REM睡眠对视觉皮层两种形式的发育可塑性的贡献。在猫的关键期短时间的MD触发丘脑皮层回路在初级视觉皮层的快速重塑有利于开放的眼睛。 一种相关形式的突触可塑性，通过打开先前关闭的眼睛和关闭先前打开的眼睛（反向MD）引起，可以产生皮质功能的恢复。我们将首先确定每种睡眠状态对MD引起的皮层可塑性的贡献。 然后，我们将确定睡眠对皮质可塑性的影响是否是由REM或非REM睡眠中的神经活动模式介导的。然后，我们将调查的作用，睡眠在皮层可塑性引起的反向MD。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes neurophysiological studies to determine the role of sleep in the development and plasticity of the mammalian visual cortex. Our previous research has demonstrated a role for sleep in the plasticity elicited by monocular deprivation (MD) during the critical period for visual development in the cat. These findings suggest an important role for sleep in the developing brain and have important implications for our understanding of cortical plasticity, learning and memory, and the function of sleep. In addition to providing insights into these areas of study, the proposed studies should provide important information regarding the role of sleep in human neural development, and the long-term consequences of sleep loss on the developing brain. The overall goal of the proposed studies is to determine the contribution of rapid-eye-movement (REM) and nonREM sleep to two forms of developmental plasticity in visual cortex. Short periods of MD during the cat critical period trigger rapid remodeling of thalamocortical circuits in primary visual cortex in favor of the open eye. A related form of synaptic plasticity, elicited by opening the previously closed eye and closing the previously open eye (reverse-MD) can produce recovery of cortical function. We will first determine the contribution of each sleep state to the cortical plasticity elicited by MD. We will then determine if the effects of sleep on cortical plasticity are mediated by the patterns of neural activity present in REM or nonREM sleep. We will then investigate the role of sleep in the cortical plasticity elicited by reverse-MD.