Environmental enrichment in adulthood promotes amblyopia recovery through a reduction of intracortical inhibition

• Published in: Nature neuroscience Vol. 10; no. 6; pp. 679 - 681
• Main Authors: Maya Vetencourt, José Fernando, Baroncelli, Laura, De Pasquale, Roberto, Cenni, Maria Cristina, Sale, Alessandro, Maffei, Lamberto, Medini, Paolo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Nature Publishing Group 01.06.2007
• Subjects: Adults; Amblyopia; Amblyopia - physiopathology; Animals; Benzodiazepines; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - metabolism; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Dominance, Ocular; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Environment; Functional Laterality; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Genetic aspects; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Microdialysis - methods; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neurosciences; Physiological aspects; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Recovery of Function - physiology; Risk factors; Sensory Deprivation - physiology; Visual acuity; Visual Acuity - physiology; Visual Cortex - physiopathology; Italy
• ISSN: 1097-6256; 1546-1726; 1546-1726
• DOI: 10.1038/nn1899

Loss of visual acuity caused by abnormal visual experience during development (amblyopia) is an untreatable pathology in adults. We report that environmental enrichment in adult amblyopic rats restored normal visual acuity and ocular dominance. These effects were due to reduced GABAergic inhibition in the visual cortex, accompanied by increased expression of BDNF and reduced density of extracellular-matrix perineuronal nets, and were prevented by enhancement of inhibition through benzodiazepine cortical infusion.