6-Hydroxydopamine treatment blocks the effects of chronic monocular paralysis in the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus.
The abnormal patterns of binocular stimulation produced by unilateral eye immobilization (monocular paralysis) alter the physiology of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), shifting the LGN X/Y ratio in such a way that X cells are encountered far less frequently than Y cells. These changes are not observed in cats treated with intraventricular injections of the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) during the period of chronic monocular paralysis. Additional experiments indicated that the blockade was not due to any non-specific effects associated with the injection procedures, nor to any direct effects the drug itself may have had on LGN cell recording. These results suggest that the neuronal mechanism mediating the shift in the X/Y ratio produced by monocular paralysis contains elements that are sensitive to 6-OHDA.
Guido
W
W
Department of Psychology, University North Carolina at Greensboro 27412-5001.
Salinger
W L
WL
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006892:Hydroxydopamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D016627:Oxidopamine; D010243:Paralysis; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*
D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D016627:Oxidopamine