title: Bilateral changes in soma size of geniculate relay cells and corticogeniculate cells after neonatal monocular enucleation in rats.
abstract: Soma areas of relay cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus and of corticogeniculate cells of normal rats (n = 4) were compared with those of neonatally unilaterally eye-enucleated adult rats (n = 13). These cells were labeled by retrogradely transported HRP. Monocular enucleation was performed on postnatal days 1 (PND 1) (n = 4), 3 (PND 3) (n = 5) and 6 (PND 6) (n = 4). The results are summarized as follows. In PND 1 rats soma areas of relay cells were 12-16% smaller than those of normal rats, but only for the geniculate nucleus ipsilateral to the remaining eye. In PND 3 and 6 rats the areal shrinkage of relay cells was 27-39% of the normal control for both hemispheres, though it was less marked in the hemisphere contralateral to the remaining eye. The corticogeniculate cells were distributed in layers V and VI in eye-enucleated rats as well as in normal rats. Soma areas of both layer V and VI cells increased in PND 1 rats for both hemispheres by about 15-47% of the normal control. In PND 3 rats increase in soma size tended to occur for layer VI cells, although the data varied from animal to animal. In summary, it was established that unilateral eye-enucleation in rats at birth induced soma size changes of the geniculate relay cells and of the corticogeniculate cells in the non-deafferented as well as in the deafferented hemisphere. Possible mechanisms for the bilateral changes in soma area of central visual cells after neonatal monocular enucleation are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology
chemical_list: D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase