Effects of monocular deprivation in the nucleus rotundus of zebra finches: a Nissl and deoxyglucose study

Experimental Brain Research
K Herrmann, H J Bischof

Abstract

We evaluated in zebra finches the effects of monocular deprivation on morphological and physiological features of the nucleus rotundus, the thalamic relay station of the tectofugal pathway. In a first series of experiments neuron size and total volume were estimated in animals deprived for 20, 40 and at least 100 days and compared to values obtained from normally reared birds. Monocular closure for more than 40 days causes a marked hypertrophy in cells receiving their main input from the open eye, whereas the deprived cells are normal in size. However, with only 20 days of monocular deprivation both deprived and non-deprived rotundal neurons are larger than normal. This indicates that monocular closure has a biphasic effect: firstly, an unselective hypertrophy of deprived and non-deprived neurons, and secondly, a subsequent period of shrinkage of the deprived cells to normal values, while cells driven by the open eye remain hypertrophied. The total volume of the deprived n. rotundus turns out to be smaller in all age groups. In a second series of experiments the activity of the n. rotundus of animals monocularly deprived from birth for 100 days was investigated with the 2-deoxyglucose-method (Sokoloff et al. 1977). With binocul...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 4, 2003·Brain Research. Developmental Brain Research·Nurhan ConSuleyman Kaplan
Mar 17, 1997·Brain Research. Developmental Brain Research·G S WithersD F Clayton
Oct 14, 1996·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·J MpodozisH J Karten

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