Gene transcription is thought to be essential for memory consolidation and long-lasting changes in synaptic function. In particular, the signal transduction pathways that activate the transcription factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) have been implicated in the process of synaptic potentiation. To study the involvement of this pathway in neocortical plasticity within the barrel ...

Cortical topography can be remapped as a consequence of sensory deprivation, suggesting that cortical circuits are continually modified by experience. To see the effect of altered sensory experience on specific components of cortical circuits, we imaged neurons, labeled with a genetically modified adeno-associated virus, in the intact mouse somatosensory cortex before and after whisker plucking...

Type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptors mediate widespread synaptic plasticity, but how this contributes to systems-level plasticity and development in vivo is unclear. We tested whether CB1 signaling is required for development and plasticity of the whisker map in rat somatosensory cortex. Treatment with the CB1 antagonist AM251 during an early critical period for layer (L) 2/3 development (beginni...

In rats, whisker trimming during development leads to persistent alterations in the function of cortical barrel circuits and to behavioral deficits later in life. Here we examined how whisker trimming begun either at birth (P0) or on postnatal day 12 (P12), around the onset of whisking behavior, affects receptive fields of layer IV barrel neurons. All whiskers on the left face were trimmed for ...

Functional maps in the cerebral cortex reorganize in response to changes in experience, but the synaptic underpinnings remain uncertain. Here, we demonstrate that layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal cell synapses in mouse barrel cortex can be potentiated upon pairing of whisker-evoked postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) with action potentials (APs). This spike-timing-dependent long-term potentiation (STD-LTP) w...

Dendritic protrusions (spines and filopodia) are structural indicators of synapses that have been linked to neuronal learning and memory through their morphological alterations induced by development and experienced-dependent activities. Although previous studies have demonstrated that depriving sensory experience leads to structural changes in neocortical organization, the more subtle effects ...

Voigts J, Sakmann B, Celikel T. Unsupervised whisker tracking in unrestrained behaving animals. J Neurophysiol 100: 504–515, 2008. First published May 7, 2008; doi:10.1152/jn.00012.2008. Understanding how whisker-based tactile information is represented in the nervous system requires quantification of sensory input and observation of neural activity during whisking and whisker touch. Chronic el...

The rat barrel field in somatosensory cortex is a well-characterized model of neocortical development, with activity-dependent and activity-independent components. Egr1 encodes an inducible transcription factor that is required for certain forms activity-dependent plasticity. This study examines Egr1 mRNA expression in the developing barrel field under basal conditions and after short-term depr...

In the phenomenon known as cross-modal plasticity, the loss of one sensory system is followed by improved functioning of other intact sensory systems. MRI and functional MRI studies suggested a role of the prefrontal cortex and the temporal lobe in cross-modal plasticity. We used a mouse model to examine the effects of sensory deprivation achieved by whisker trimming and visual deprivation achi...

Understanding how whisker-based tactile information is represented in the nervous system requires quantification of sensory input and observation of neural activity during whisking and whisker touch. Chronic electrophysiological methods have long been available to study neural responses in awake and behaving animals; however, methods to quantify the sensory input on whiskers have not yet been d...