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Cerebral Cortex Advance Access originally published online on April 22, 2009
Cerebral Cortex 2009 19(12):2982-2992; doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp069
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Analysis of c-fos and zif268 Expression Reveals Time-Dependent Changes in Activity Inside and Outside the Lesion Projection Zone in Adult Cat Area 17 after Retinal Lesions

Tjing-Tjing Hu1, Annelies Laeremans1, Ulf T. Eysel2, Lieselotte Cnops1 and Lutgarde Arckens1

1 Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium, 2 Department of Neurophysiology, Medical School, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany

Address correspondence to Dr Lutgarde Arckens, PhD, Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, K.U.Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Email: lut.arckens{at}bio.kuleuven.be.

Retinal lesions induce a topographic reorganization in the corresponding lesion projection zone (LPZ) in the visual cortex of adult cats. To gain a better insight into the reactivation dynamics, we investigated the alterations in cortical activity throughout area 17. We implemented in situ hybridization and real-time polymerase chain reaction to analyze the spatiotemporal expression patterns of the activity marker genes zif268 and c-fos. The immediate early gene (IEG) data confirmed a strong and permanent activity decrease in the center of the LPZ as previously described by electrophysiology. A recovery of IEG expression was clearly measured in the border of the LPZ. We were able to register reorganization over 2.5–6 mm. We also present evidence that the central retinal lesions concomitantly influence the activity in far peripheral parts of area 17. Its IEG expression levels appeared dependent of time and distance from the LPZ. We therefore propose that coupled changes in activity occur inside and outside the LPZ. In conclusion, alterations in activity reporter gene expression throughout area 17 contribute to the lesion-induced functional reorganization.

Key Words: adult plasticity • c-fos • neuronal activity • visual cortex • zif268


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