Ecological Niche Holds Greater Evolutionary Weight than Phylogeny in the Experience-Dependent Development of Mammalian Visual Cortex

Presenter

Korey Sudana

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Sarah L. Pallas, Department of Biology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A56, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 3 (A41-A60) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The maturation of mammalian sensory cortical networks has generally been ascribed to experience-dependent plasticity- the shaping of neural circuits through sensory inputs during critical periods. In the visual system, dark rearing (DR) disrupts the normal development of neuronal representations of visual space, known as receptive fields (RF), in the primary visual cortex (V1). However, our recent evidence suggests that mammals in niches of reduced light exposure may require minimal or no visual experience to develop mature RF properties. Hamsters, a crepuscular species, exhibit refined V1 RFs by adolescence that subsequently enlarge in adulthood, implicating a pre-programmed mechanism for RF development but a dependence on light for mature RF maintenance (Balmer and Pallas, 2015). This project characterizes V1 RF development in two more mammalian species: crepuscular ferrets and nocturnal mice. We hypothesized that ecological niche, rather than phylogenetic relations, more accurately predicts the experience-dependent development of RF properties. Crepuscular hamsters and ferrets are thus predicted to share more similarities in visual development than hamsters and nocturnal mice despite being more genetically distant. Our preliminary data supports the hypothesis; ferret RF development and dependence on visual experience is similar to that of hamsters, whereas our data from nocturnal mice suggest that both refinement and maintenance of RFs can occur without visual experience. This study reveals how developmental phenomena in common animal models like mice are less applicable to humans as other mammals. Investigating these developmental differences will help future researchers utilize more appropriate animal models for studying human visual development and disorders.

Keywords

Adult Plasticity, Visual Development, Visual Deprivation, Mammalian Models, Receptive Field Properties

Research Area

Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

SIMILAR ABSTRACTS (BY KEYWORD)