Non-visual exploration of novel objects increases the levels of plasticity factors in the rat primary visual cortex.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Historically, the primary sensory areas of the cerebral cortex have been exclusively associated with the processing of a single sensory modality. Yet the presence of tactile responses in the primary visual (V1) cortex has challenged this view, leading to the notion that primary sensory areas engage in cross-modal processing, and that the associated circuitry is modifiable by such activity. To explore this notion, here we assessed whether the exploration of novel objects in the dark induces the activation of plasticity markers in the V1 cortex of rats.

Methods

Adult rats were allowed to freely explore for 20 min a completely dark box with four novel objects of different shapes and textures. Animals were euthanized either 1 (n = 5) or 3 h (n = 5) after

SUBMITTER: Pereira CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6202959 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature