Article Abstract:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which regulates maturation of inhibition and the critical period of plasticity in the visual cortex of mice, is discussed. Visual cortex maturation is influenced by visual experience during an early postnatal period. In transgenic mice in which the postnatal increase of BDNF was speeded up, this was studied. Maturation of GABAergic innervation and inhibition was speeded up and the age-dependent decline of cortical long-term potentiation induced by white matter stimulation happened sooner. Precocious development of visual acuity and an earlier end for the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity was seen.
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Article Abstract:
A novel method based on the Cre/loc recombination system from phage P1 was utilized for the restricted deletion of the (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) NMDAR1 gene in the pyramidal cells of the hippocampal CA1 region of mice. The CA1-restricted NMDAR1 mutants developed normal brains but the slow component of the excitatory postsynaptic current was absent in their CA1-knock out cells. Furthermore, the mutant mice exhibited deficient learning abilities and spatial memory indicating the role of NMDA in the formation of specific forms of memory.
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Article Abstract:
Results point out that the calcium-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin, of the mouse forebrain mediates the bidirectional synaptic plasticity and differentiates between working/episodic-like memory and reference memory. Mutant mice with disrupted calcineurin show impairment in hippocampus-dependent working and episodic-like memory tasks.
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