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Early auditory experience‐induced composition/ratio changes of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor subunit expression and effects of D‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid chronic blockade in rat auditory cortex
Author(s) -
Cui Yilei,
Zhang Jiping,
Cai Rui,
Sun Xinde
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.21936
Subject(s) - nmda receptor , auditory cortex , receptor , protein subunit , biology , glutamate receptor , neuroscience , endocrinology , medicine , biochemistry , gene
Auditory function can be affected by many factors, including environment and experience. In this study, we investigated whether early auditory experience mediates the regulation of the composition/ratio changes of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor subunits during development of the rat auditory cortex. We found that early sound exposure can increase expression of the NMDA receptor subunits and increase the composition/ratios of NMDA receptor subunits during the postnatal critical period. D‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid (D‐APV) could block and reverse the auditory experience‐mediated changes, and there were marked reductions in expression levels and the composition/ratios of NMDA receptor subunits. These results indicate that the experience‐dependent plasticity of the auditory cortex in the critical period during postnatal development has a marked influence on NMDA receptor expression in the rat and that changes in NMDA receptor subunit composition/ratios might mediate the early auditory experience‐dependent plasticity crucial to auditory function. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.