Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · Jul 2005
Comparative StudyDissociation of synaptic zinc level and zinc transporter 3 expression during postnatal development and after sensory deprivation in the barrel cortex of mice.
In the neocortex, synaptic zinc level is regulated by sensory experience. Previously, we found that trimming of mystacial vibrissae resulted in an increase of synaptic zinc level in corresponding deprived barrels in the cortex of mice. ⋯ Further, neither long-term deprivation in young mice nor short deprivation in adult mice, that resulted in an increase of synaptic zinc level, produced alterations in ZnT3, synapsin I or synaptophysin expression in deprived barrels. These results suggest that in the barrel cortex ZnT3, synapsin I or synaptophysin are not determinant for the activity-dependent regulation of the synaptic zinc level.