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Regulation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mouse somatosensory cortex following whisker removal at birth
Author(s) -
Bina Keshavan G.,
Park Min,
O'Dowd Diane K.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19980720)397:1<1::aid-cne1>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , nicotinic agonist , acetylcholine receptor , biology , receptor , medicine , neuroscience , acetylcholine , endocrinology , cortex (anatomy)
Previous studies in postnatal mouse demonstrating high levels of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on layer IV somatosensory cortical neurons coincident with the onset of functional synaptic transmission led us to investigate whether the number and/or the localization of these receptors could be regulated by activity. Accordingly, we examined α‐bungarotoxin binding in mouse somatosensory cortex following removal of all of the vibrissae on one side of the face, either by vibrissal follicle cauterization or daily plucking beginning on the day of birth. Following vibrissa plucking, the levels of [ 125 I]α‐bungarotoxin binding on postnatal day 6 were significantly higher (23 ± 7%) in the denervated cortex (contralateral to the peripheral manipulation) than the intact cortex. Cauterization also resulted in significantly higher (14 ± 3%) [ 125 I]α‐bungarotoxin binding in the contralateral vs. the ipsilateral cortex. In contrast, there was no difference in [ 125 I]α‐bungarotoxin binding in the left and right cortices of unoperated control animals. At postnatal day 14, levels of [ 125 I]α‐bungarotoxin binding in layer IV were very low in control animals as well as in animals subjected to whisker plucking or cautery. These findings suggest that reducing activity in the somatosensory pathway regulates the density of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during the first postnatal week. However, the normal decrease in receptor density that is seen during the second postnatal week of development proceeds despite altered sensory activity. J. Comp. Neurol. 397:1–9, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.