Proteins Associated with the Termination of Ocular Dominance Column Plasticity in Long Evans Rats

Purpose ： To investigate the mechanism of the termination of ocular dominance column plasticity by electrophysiologic analysis and 2-dimensional electrophoresis-mass spectrography （2-DE/MS）. Methods： The changes in ocular dominance columns following monocular deprivation were electrophysiologically detected in 22-day-old, 100-day-old and chondroitinase- perfused 100-day-old rats. Total protein of grey matter of the primary visual cortex was extracted and studied by 2-DE/MS from the three groups of rats. Results： Monocular deprivation may lead to shifts in ocular dominance columns in 22- day-old and chondroitinase-perfused 100-day-old rats, but not in 100-day-old rats. Four protein spots present in grey matter of the primary visual cortex in 100-day-old, but not in that of 22-day-old and chondroitinase-perfused rats, and mass spectrography identified two of these proteins. Conclusions： The electrophysiologic results show that ocular dominance column plasticity presents in 22-day-old rats, ends up in 100-day-ol