Effects of Digesting Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans on Plasticity in Cat Primary Visual Cortex

Effects of digesting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on plasticity in cat primary visual cortex.

Monocular deprivation (MD) during a critical period of postnatal development produces significant changes in the anatomy and physiology of the visual cortex, and the deprived eye becomes amblyopic. Extracellular matrix molecules have a major role in restricting plasticity such that the ability to recover from MD decreases with age. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) act as barriers to ce...

A family of activity-dependent neuronal cell-surface chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in cat visual cortex.

Monoclonal antibody Cat-301 recognizes a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) expressed on the extracellular surface of cell bodies and proximal dendrites of specific subsets of neurons in many areas of the mammalian CNS, including the cat visual cortex. The Cat-301 CSPG is first detected at the close of the critical period in development, a period during which the pattern of neuronal activi...

Effects of visual deprivation on synaptic plasticity of visual cortex

  TBS (Theta Burst Stimulation) and PBs (Primed Bursts) are among effective tetanic stimulations for induction of LTP in hippocampus. Recent studies have indicated that TBS is effective in LTP induction in layer III synapses of neocortex, only if applied to layer IV. However, the possibility of neocortical LTP induction using PBs, has not yet been investigated. Sensory deprivation greatly influ...

Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans and Neurotrophic Factors

Role of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission in mammalian spinal cord

Chronic unilateral hemisection (HX) of the adult rat spinal cord diminishes conduction through intact fibers in the ventrolateral funiculus (VLF) contralateral to HX. Intraspinal injections of Chondroitinase-ABC, known to digest chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the vicinity of injury, prevented this decline of axonal conduction. This was associated with improved locomotor function. ...