Cargando…
A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex
Visual perceptual learning (VPL) can improve spatial vision in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals. Although previous studies of humans and large animals have explored the neural basis of VPL, elucidation of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remains a challenge. Owing t...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2016
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785181/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27014004 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00042 |
_version_ | 1782420357453447168 |
---|---|
author | Wang, Yan Wu, Wei Zhang, Xian Hu, Xu Li, Yue Lou, Shihao Ma, Xiao An, Xu Liu, Hui Peng, Jing Ma, Danyi Zhou, Yifeng Yang, Yupeng |
author_facet | Wang, Yan Wu, Wei Zhang, Xian Hu, Xu Li, Yue Lou, Shihao Ma, Xiao An, Xu Liu, Hui Peng, Jing Ma, Danyi Zhou, Yifeng Yang, Yupeng |
author_sort | Wang, Yan |
collection | PubMed |
description | Visual perceptual learning (VPL) can improve spatial vision in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals. Although previous studies of humans and large animals have explored the neural basis of VPL, elucidation of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remains a challenge. Owing to the advantages of molecular genetic and optogenetic manipulations, the mouse is a promising model for providing a mechanistic understanding of VPL. Here, we thoroughly evaluated the effects and properties of VPL on spatial vision in C57BL/6J mice using a two-alternative, forced-choice visual water task. Briefly, the mice underwent prolonged training at near the individual threshold of contrast or spatial frequency (SF) for pattern discrimination or visual detection for 35 consecutive days. Following training, the contrast-threshold trained mice showed an 87% improvement in contrast sensitivity (CS) and a 55% gain in visual acuity (VA). Similarly, the SF-threshold trained mice exhibited comparable and long-lasting improvements in VA and significant gains in CS over a wide range of SFs. Furthermore, learning largely transferred across eyes and stimulus orientations. Interestingly, learning could transfer from a pattern discrimination task to a visual detection task, but not vice versa. We validated that this VPL fully restored VA in adult amblyopic mice and old mice. Taken together, these data indicate that mice, as a species, exhibit reliable VPL. Intrinsic signal optical imaging revealed that mice with perceptual training had higher cut-off SFs in primary visual cortex (V1) than those without perceptual training. Moreover, perceptual training induced an increase in the dendritic spine density in layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of V1. These results indicated functional and structural alterations in V1 during VPL. Overall, our VPL mouse model will provide a platform for investigating the neurobiological basis of VPL. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-4785181 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2016 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-47851812016-03-24 A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex Wang, Yan Wu, Wei Zhang, Xian Hu, Xu Li, Yue Lou, Shihao Ma, Xiao An, Xu Liu, Hui Peng, Jing Ma, Danyi Zhou, Yifeng Yang, Yupeng Front Behav Neurosci Neuroscience Visual perceptual learning (VPL) can improve spatial vision in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals. Although previous studies of humans and large animals have explored the neural basis of VPL, elucidation of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remains a challenge. Owing to the advantages of molecular genetic and optogenetic manipulations, the mouse is a promising model for providing a mechanistic understanding of VPL. Here, we thoroughly evaluated the effects and properties of VPL on spatial vision in C57BL/6J mice using a two-alternative, forced-choice visual water task. Briefly, the mice underwent prolonged training at near the individual threshold of contrast or spatial frequency (SF) for pattern discrimination or visual detection for 35 consecutive days. Following training, the contrast-threshold trained mice showed an 87% improvement in contrast sensitivity (CS) and a 55% gain in visual acuity (VA). Similarly, the SF-threshold trained mice exhibited comparable and long-lasting improvements in VA and significant gains in CS over a wide range of SFs. Furthermore, learning largely transferred across eyes and stimulus orientations. Interestingly, learning could transfer from a pattern discrimination task to a visual detection task, but not vice versa. We validated that this VPL fully restored VA in adult amblyopic mice and old mice. Taken together, these data indicate that mice, as a species, exhibit reliable VPL. Intrinsic signal optical imaging revealed that mice with perceptual training had higher cut-off SFs in primary visual cortex (V1) than those without perceptual training. Moreover, perceptual training induced an increase in the dendritic spine density in layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of V1. These results indicated functional and structural alterations in V1 during VPL. Overall, our VPL mouse model will provide a platform for investigating the neurobiological basis of VPL. Frontiers Media S.A. 2016-03-10 /pmc/articles/PMC4785181/ /pubmed/27014004 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00042 Text en Copyright © 2016 Wang, Wu, Zhang, Hu, Li, Lou, Ma, An, Liu, Peng, Ma, Zhou and Yang. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
spellingShingle | Neuroscience Wang, Yan Wu, Wei Zhang, Xian Hu, Xu Li, Yue Lou, Shihao Ma, Xiao An, Xu Liu, Hui Peng, Jing Ma, Danyi Zhou, Yifeng Yang, Yupeng A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title | A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title_full | A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title_fullStr | A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title_full_unstemmed | A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title_short | A Mouse Model of Visual Perceptual Learning Reveals Alterations in Neuronal Coding and Dendritic Spine Density in the Visual Cortex |
title_sort | mouse model of visual perceptual learning reveals alterations in neuronal coding and dendritic spine density in the visual cortex |
topic | Neuroscience |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785181/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27014004 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00042 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT wangyan amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT wuwei amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT zhangxian amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT huxu amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT liyue amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT loushihao amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT maxiao amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT anxu amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT liuhui amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT pengjing amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT madanyi amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT zhouyifeng amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT yangyupeng amousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT wangyan mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT wuwei mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT zhangxian mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT huxu mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT liyue mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT loushihao mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT maxiao mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT anxu mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT liuhui mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT pengjing mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT madanyi mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT zhouyifeng mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex AT yangyupeng mousemodelofvisualperceptuallearningrevealsalterationsinneuronalcodinganddendriticspinedensityinthevisualcortex |