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Rapid and opposite effects of BDNF and NGF on the functional organization of the adult cortex in vivo

Nature volume 381, pages 702–706 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

THE adult cortex is thought to undergo plastic changes that are closely dependent on neuronal activity (reviewed in ref. 1), although it is not yet known what molecules are involved. Neurotrophins and their receptors have been implicated in several aspects of developmental plasticity2–4, and their expression in the adult cortex suggests additional roles in adult plasticity5–9. To examine these potential roles in vivo, we used intrinsic-signal optical imaging to quantify the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the functional representation of a stimulated whisker in the 'barrel' subdivision of the rat somatosensory cortex. Topical application of BDNF resulted in a rapid and long-lasting decrease in the size of a whisker representation, and a decrease in the amplitude of the activity-dependent intrinsic signal. In contrast, NGF application resulted in a rapid but transient increase in the size of a representation, and an increase in the amplitude of the activity-dependent intrinsic signal. These results demonstrate that neurotrophins can rapidly modulate stimulus-dependent activity in adult cortex, and suggest a role for neurotrophins in regulating adult cortical plasticity.

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Author notes

  1. Susana Cohen-Cory

    Present address: Mental Retardation Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

  2. Susana Cohen-Cory: Division of Biology, Caltech, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychobiology and the Center for Learning and Memory, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, 92717, USA

    Neal Prakash, Susana Cohen-Cory & Ron D. Frostig

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  1. Neal Prakash
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  2. Susana Cohen-Cory
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  3. Ron D. Frostig
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Prakash, N., Cohen-Cory, S. & Frostig, R. Rapid and opposite effects of BDNF and NGF on the functional organization of the adult cortex in vivo. Nature 381, 702–706 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/381702a0

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