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Ribeiro FM, Castelo-Branco M, Gonçalves J, Martins J. Visual Cortical Plasticity: Molecular Mechanisms as Revealed by Induction Paradigms in Rodents. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054701. [PMID: 36902131 PMCID: PMC10003432 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Assessing the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity in the cortex is vital for identifying potential targets in conditions marked by defective plasticity. In plasticity research, the visual cortex represents a target model for intense investigation, partly due to the availability of different in vivo plasticity-induction protocols. Here, we review two major protocols: ocular-dominance (OD) and cross-modal (CM) plasticity in rodents, highlighting the molecular signaling pathways involved. Each plasticity paradigm has also revealed the contribution of different populations of inhibitory and excitatory neurons at different time points. Since defective synaptic plasticity is common to various neurodevelopmental disorders, the potentially disrupted molecular and circuit alterations are discussed. Finally, new plasticity paradigms are presented, based on recent evidence. Stimulus-selective response potentiation (SRP) is one of the paradigms addressed. These options may provide answers to unsolved neurodevelopmental questions and offer tools to repair plasticity defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco M. Ribeiro
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Gonçalves
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - João Martins
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
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Animali S, Steinwurzel C, Dardano A, Sancho-Bornez V, Del Prato S, Morrone MC, Daniele G, Binda P. Effect of fasting on short-term visual plasticity in adult humans. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:148-162. [PMID: 36437778 PMCID: PMC10108283 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Brain plasticity and function is impaired in conditions of metabolic dysregulation, such as obesity. Less is known on whether brain function is also affected by transient and physiological metabolic changes, such as the alternation between fasting and fed state. Here we asked whether these changes affect the transient shift of ocular dominance that follows short-term monocular deprivation, a form of homeostatic plasticity. We further asked whether variations in three of the main metabolic and hormonal pathways affected in obesity (glucose metabolism, leptin signalling and fatty acid metabolism) correlate with plasticity changes. We measured the effects of 2 h monocular deprivation in three conditions: post-absorptive state (fasting), after ingestion of a standardised meal and during infusion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin physiologically released upon meal ingestion that plays a key role in glucose metabolism. We found that short-term plasticity was less manifest in fasting than in fed state, whereas GLP-1 infusion did not elicit reliable changes compared to fasting. Although we confirmed a positive association between plasticity and supraphysiological GLP-1 levels, achieved by GLP-1 infusion, we found that none of the parameters linked to glucose metabolism could predict the plasticity reduction in the fasting versus fed state. Instead, this was selectively associated with the increase in plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate (B-OH) levels during fasting, which suggests a link between neural function and energy substrates alternative to glucose. These results reveal a previously unexplored link between homeostatic brain plasticity and the physiological changes associated with the daily fast-fed cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Animali
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Cecilia Steinwurzel
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Angela Dardano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Del Prato
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Daniele
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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