Loss of visual acuity caused by abnormal visual experience during development (amblyopia) is an untreatable pathology in adults. In some occasions, amblyopic patients loose vision in their better eye owing to accidents or illnesses. While this condition is relevant both for its clinical importance and because it represents a case in which binocular interactions in the visual cortex are suppressed, it has scarcely been studied in animal models. We investigated whether exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) is effective in triggering recovery of vision in adult amblyopic rats rendered monocular by optic nerve dissection in their normal eye. By employing both electrophysiological and behavioral assessments, we found a full recovery of visual acuity in enriched rats compared to controls reared in standard conditions. Moreover, we report that EE modulates the expression of GAD67 and BDNF. The non invasive nature of EE renders this paradigm promising for amblyopia therapy in adult monocular people.

Experience-dependent expression of miR132 regulates ocular dominance plasticity / Tognini, Paola; relatore: Pizzorusso, Tommaso; Scuola Normale Superiore, 2012.

Experience-dependent expression of miR132 regulates ocular dominance plasticity

Tognini, Paola
2012

Abstract

Loss of visual acuity caused by abnormal visual experience during development (amblyopia) is an untreatable pathology in adults. In some occasions, amblyopic patients loose vision in their better eye owing to accidents or illnesses. While this condition is relevant both for its clinical importance and because it represents a case in which binocular interactions in the visual cortex are suppressed, it has scarcely been studied in animal models. We investigated whether exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) is effective in triggering recovery of vision in adult amblyopic rats rendered monocular by optic nerve dissection in their normal eye. By employing both electrophysiological and behavioral assessments, we found a full recovery of visual acuity in enriched rats compared to controls reared in standard conditions. Moreover, we report that EE modulates the expression of GAD67 and BDNF. The non invasive nature of EE renders this paradigm promising for amblyopia therapy in adult monocular people.
2012
BIO/09 FISIOLOGIA
Scienze biologiche
amblyopia
BDNF
Biology
environmental enrichment
GAD67
Neurobiology
optic nerve dissection
Scuola Normale Superiore
Pizzorusso, Tommaso
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Descrizione: Doctoral thesis full text
Tipologia: Tesi PhD
Licenza: Solo Lettura
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11384/85960
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