Morphological Development and Taxonomy of Cortical Neurons in Mouse Barrel Cortex: The Effect of Sensory Deprivation During the Critical Period
Item
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Title
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Morphological Development and Taxonomy of Cortical Neurons in Mouse Barrel Cortex: The Effect of Sensory Deprivation During the Critical Period
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:947ededa8ff2:11640
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identifier
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12177
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Creator
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Chen, Chia-Chien,
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Contributor
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Joshua C. Brumberg
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Date
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2013
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Neurosciences | Physiological psychology | Barrel Cortex | Dendrites | Dendritic Spines | Extracellular Matrix | Neuronal Morphology | Sensory Deprivation
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Abstract
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Neurons are the basic processing units and the fundamental building blocks of the nervous system, and understanding neuronal morphology provides a necessary first step towards comprehending the composition of the cortical microcircuits that perform cognitive computations within the cerebral cortex. Utilizing a histological impregnation technique that labels neurons in their entirety, detailed morphologies of barrel cortical neurons were investigated and the effect of chronic sensory deprivation explored. This research produced a number of key findings: 1) neurons in layer VI of the barrel cortex, which receives inputs from the contralateral facial whiskers, are composed of six geometrically distinct and morphologically heterogeneous populations; 2) chronic sensory deprivation of whisker-related input spanning across early neonatal development can considerably influence neurons' geometric properties, with structural alterations observed in somatic, apical and basilar dendritic features in layer VI of barrel cortex; 3) cortical response to disruption and restoration of sensation, as assessed by quantifying and categorizing dendritic protrusions, is cortex-layer specific and age-dependent, and a key protein regulating the content of extracellular matrix is upregulated following disruption of sensory experience. The main conclusions drawn from this research were that the composition within cerebral cortex is definable yet highly complex, and neurons respond to the ever-updating sensory environment by modifying their morphology and molecular content within the cerebral cortex. Characterizing neuronal elements provides a framework for better understanding of structure-function relationships within neocortical circuits in general, and how the sensory input provides the essential mechanisms for the appropriate development of cerebral cortex, an important prerequisite for proper perceptual functioning.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
