Abstract
Sensory experience alters cortical circuitry by parallel processes of axon outgrowth and pruning, but the mechanisms that control these rearrangements are poorly understood. Using in vivo 2-photon longitudinal imaging, we found a marked reduction in axonal pruning in somatosensory cortex of mice with a knock-out of the DR6 gene, which codes for Death Receptor 6. This effect was seen for both long-range horizontal excitatory connections and for the axons of inhibitory neurons. These results identify a new pathway governing axonal plasticity associated with experience-dependent changes in cortical maps.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Axons / physiology
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / genetics
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Dependovirus
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Glutamate Decarboxylase / genetics
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Glutamate Decarboxylase / metabolism
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Luminescent Proteins / genetics
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Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
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Mice
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Mice, Knockout
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Neural Inhibition / genetics
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Neuronal Plasticity / genetics
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Neuronal Plasticity / physiology*
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Neurons / physiology*
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Physical Stimulation
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Presynaptic Terminals / physiology
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Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / deficiency
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Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / metabolism*
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Somatosensory Cortex* / cytology
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Somatosensory Cortex* / metabolism
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Somatosensory Cortex* / physiology
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Transduction, Genetic
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Vibrissae / innervation*
Substances
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Luminescent Proteins
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Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
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Tnfrsf21 protein, mouse
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2
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Camk2a protein, mouse
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Glutamate Decarboxylase
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glutamate decarboxylase 2