Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · May 2001
Deprivation and denervation differentially affect zinc-containing circuitries in the barrel cortex of mice.
In the neocortex, a population of glutamatergic synapses contains chelatable zinc that is released upon depolarization. The present study compares the effect of chronic tactile deprivation and vibrissectomy performed at different postnatal ages on the synaptic zinc distribution in the mouse barrel cortex. We found that a chronic unilateral tactile deprivation resulted in an increase of synaptic zinc in deprived barrels. ⋯ However, no changes in the intensity of zinc staining were observed. Vibrissectomy performed after the critical period for barrel formation did not affect either the distribution or intensity of zinc staining. It appears that the integrity of vibrissa-barrel pathway is necessary to induce activity-dependent alterations in synaptic zinc.