Open AccessDual activity maps in primate visual cortex produced by different temporal patterns of zif268 mRNA and protein expression
Author(s) -
Avi Chaudhuri,
Jonathan Nissanov,
Sylvie Larocque,
Lise Rioux
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.94.6.2671
Subject(s) - stimulus (psychology) , neuroscience , primate , visual cortex , immediate early gene , messenger rna , biology , premovement neuronal activity , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , psychology , genetics , psychotherapist
The inducible nature of the immediate-early genes (IEGs) c-fos andzif268 allows their products to be used as activity markers in the brain. The utility of such markers in general is restricted because they can resolve only neurons activated by a single stimulus. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a double-label technique that exploits the dissimilar time course ofzif268 mRNA and protein induction, allowing them to be separately induced by two different stimuli and independently stained to provide a visual display of neurons that are responsive to each stimulus. Two powerful features of this new imaging technique—the possibility of staining separate populations of activated neurons and the ability to visualize them at the cellular level—should extend IEG applications in biological activity mapping.