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Cross‐modal refinement of visual performance after brief somatosensory deprivation in adult mice
Author(s) -
Teichert Manuel,
Isstas Marcel,
Wenig Steven,
Setz Christoph,
Lehmann Konrad,
Bolz Jürgen
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13798
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , visual cortex , contrast (vision) , sensory deprivation , neuroscience , psychology , sensory system , modality (human–computer interaction) , stimulus modality , visual acuity , audiology , medicine , ophthalmology , computer vision , artificial intelligence , computer science
It is well established that the congenital lack of one sensory modality enhances functionality in the spared senses. However, whether a late onset deprivation of one sense leads to such alterations is largely unknown. Here, we investigated whether a somatosensory deprivation induced by bilateral whisker removal affects visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in fully adult mice. Using the visual cortex‐dependent visual water task, we found that a brief somatosensory deprivation markedly improved behavioral visual acuity and contrast sensitivity by about 40%. Determining these attributes of vision using periodic optical imaging of intrinsic signals in the same mice revealed that visual cortex responses elicited by weak visual stimuli were massively increased after somatosensory deprivation. Strikingly, comparison of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity values determined by the visual water task and intrinsic signal imaging revealed that these measurements were almost identical, even at the level of individual animals. In summary, our results suggest that a brief manipulation of somatosensory experience profoundly boosts visual cortex‐dependent vision in adults.