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Rearing with monocular lid suture induces abnormal NADPH‐diaphorase staining in the lateral geniculate nucleus of cats
Author(s) -
Günlük Alev E.,
Bickford Martha E.,
Sherman S. Murray
Publication year - 1994
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/cne.903500206
Subject(s) - lateral geniculate nucleus , biology , nadph dehydrogenase , monocular deprivation , anatomy , geniculate , staining , immunocytochemistry , nucleus , visual cortex , neuroscience , nitric oxide , nitric oxide synthase , endocrinology , ocular dominance , genetics
We investigated the changes in NADPH‐diaphorase staining that occur in the lateral geniculate nucleus of cats following rearing with monocular lid suture. This staining allows visualization of the synthesizing enzyme of nitric oxide, a neuromodulator associated with plasticity. In the lateral geniculate nucleus of normally reared cats, NADPH‐diaphorase exclusively labels the axons and terminals of an input from the parabrachial region of the brainstem; no geniculate cells in the A‐laminae are labeled. Early monocular lid suture has no obvious effect on the NADPH‐diaphorase staining of parabrachial axons. However, this lid suture results in the abnormal appearance of NADPH‐diaphorase staining for geniculate somata. These cells are located primarily in the nondeprived laminae. Double‐labeling experiments indicate that these cells with abnormal NADPH‐diaphorase reactivity are Y relay cells: NADPH‐diaphorase staining is found in cells retrogradely labeled from visual cortex; it is found in cells labeled with a monoclonal antibody for CAT‐301, which selectively targets Y cells; it is not found in cells labeled with an anti‐GABA antibody, which targets interneurons. Also, NADPH‐diaphorase labeled cells are among the largest cells in the nondeprived laminae, again suggesting that they are Y relay cells. We cannot suggest a specific mechanism for this induction of NADPH‐diaphorase labeling, but it does not seem to be due to abnormal binocular competition induced by the monocular lid suture. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.