Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

OCULAR DOMINANCE PLASTICITY AND THE THALAMUS

The underdog pathway gets a boost

Nature Neuroscience volume 20, pages 1655–1656 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Sommeijer et al. describe a previously unrecognized role of the thalamus: development of inhibition in the thalamus regulates ocular dominance plasticity, a form of critical-period plasticity regulation previously ascribed solely to the cortex.

Critical periods are defined developmental time windows during which neural representations are malleable to sensory experiences. Ocular dominance plasticity in the visual system is a classic example of how neural response properties are updated to reflect input characteristics experienced by the animal in its local environment1. Transient closure of one eye, an experimental manipulation referred to as monocular deprivation (MD), causes a shift in the eye input preference of primary visual cortex (V1) neurons toward the nondeprived eye, and this is referred to as ocular dominance plasticity. The identity of the specific circuits and brain regions required to direct the net shift in cortical responsiveness toward the open eye is incompletely understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that the thalamus is involved, in part because it is well positioned to organize the temporal activity patterns reaching V11,2. However, precisely when during the shifting process the thalamus exerts its influence is not known, nor is it known which circuits within the thalamus are critical. The work of Sommeijer et al.3 represents a major step forward in defining the role of the thalamus in regulating ocular dominance plasticity by pinpointing when during the shift specific circuitry in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (dLGN) is required for plasticity to proceed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The ‘underdog’ ipsilateral input pathway strengthens during monocular deprivation and development.

References

  1. Espinosa, J. S. & Stryker, M. P. Neuron 75, 230–249 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Howarth, M., Walmsley, L. & Brown, T. M. Curr. Biol. 24, 1241–1247 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Sommeijer, J.-P. et al. Nat. Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-017-0002-3 (2017).

  4. Kaneko, M., Stellwagen, D., Malenka, R. C. & Stryker, M. P. Neuron 58, 673–680 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Frenkel, M. Y. & Bear, M. F. Neuron 44, 917–923 (2004).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Yoon, B.-J., Smith, G. B., Heynen, A. J., Neve, R. L. & Bear, M. F. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 9860–9865 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Mrsic-Flogel, T. D. et al. Neuron 54, 961–972 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lambo, M. E. & Turrigiano, G. G. J. Neurosci. 33, 8810–8819 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Cho, K. K. A., Khibnik, L., Philpot, B. D. & Bear, M. F. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 5377–5382 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Fagiolini, M. et al. Science 303, 1681–1683 (2004).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Chen, X.-J. et al. J. Neurosci. 34, 2940–2955 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kuhlman, S. J. et al. Nature 501, 543–546 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Hengen, K. B., Lambo, M. E., Van Hooser, S. D., Katz, D. B. & Turrigiano, G. G. Neuron 80, 335–342 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Ma, W. P., Li, Y. T. & Tao, H. W. J. Neurosci. 33, 11276–11280 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Sur, C. et al. J. Neurosci. 21, 3409–3418 (2001).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Brian B. Jeon & Sandra J. Kuhlman

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Brian B. Jeon

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Sandra J. Kuhlman

Authors
  1. Brian B. Jeon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sandra J. Kuhlman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra J. Kuhlman.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jeon, B.B., Kuhlman, S.J. The underdog pathway gets a boost. Nat Neurosci 20, 1655–1656 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-017-0019-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-017-0019-7

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing