Development of precise maps in visual cortex requires patterned spontaneous activity in the retina.
The visual cortex is organized into retinotopic maps that preserve an orderly representation of the visual world, achieved by topographically precise inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus. We show here that geniculocortical mapping is imprecise when the waves of spontaneous activity in the retina during the first postnatal week are disrupted genetically. This anatomical mapping defect is present by postnatal day 8 and has functional consequences, as revealed by optical imaging and microelectrode recording in adults. Pharmacological disruption of these retinal waves during the first week phenocopies the mapping defect, confirming both the site and the timing of the disruption in neural activity responsible for the defect. Analysis shows that the geniculocortical miswiring is not a trivial or necessary consequence of the retinogeniculate defect. Our findings demonstrate that disrupting early spontaneous activity in the eye alters thalamic connections to the cortex.
Cang
Jianhua
J
W. M. Keck Foundation Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
Rentería
René C
RC
Kaneko
Megumi
M
Liu
Xiaorong
X
Copenhagen
David R
DR
Stryker
Michael P
MP
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology
D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011725:Pyridines; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; C082748:epibatidine