Contrast gain control and cortical TrkB signaling shape visual acuity.
During development and aging and in amblyopia, visual acuity is far below the limitations set by the retina. Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the visual cortex is reduced in these situations. We asked whether neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor, type 2 (TrkB) regulates cortical visual acuity in adult mice. We found that genetically interfering with TrkB/BDNF signaling in pyramidal cells in the mature visual cortex reduced synaptic strength and resulted in a loss of neural responses to high spatial-frequency stimuli. Responses to low spatial-frequency stimuli were unaffected. This selective loss was not accompanied by a change in receptive field sizes or plasticity, but apparent contrast was reduced. Our results indicate that a dependence on spatial frequency in the Heeger normalization model explains this selective effect of contrast reduction on high-resolution vision and suggest that it involves contrast gain control operating in the visual cortex.
Heimel
J Alexander
JA
Molecular Visual Plasticity Group, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. heimel@nin.knaw.nl
Saiepour
M Hadi
MH
Chakravarthy
Sridhara
S
Hermans
Josephine M
JM
Levelt
Christiaan N
CN
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001703:Biophysics; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D055366:Synaptic Potentials / Q000235:genetics; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D020813:Receptor, trkB
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