title: Experience-dependent recovery of vision following chronic deprivation amblyopia.
abstract: The shift in ocular dominance induced by brief monocular deprivation is greatest during a postnatal critical period and is thought to decline irreversibly thereafter. However, here we demonstrate that complete visual deprivation through dark exposure restores rapid ocular dominance plasticity in adult rats. In addition, the loss of visual acuity resulting from chronic monocular deprivation is reversed if dark exposure precedes removal of the occlusion in adulthood, suggesting a potential use for dark exposure in the treatment of adult amblyopia.
authors: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors: Hai-Yan
authors: HY
authors: He
authors: Baisali
authors: B
authors: Ray
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Dennis
authors: Elizabeth M
authors: EM
authors: Quinlan
mesh_terms: D000221:Adaptation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*