Prior experience enhances plasticity in adult visual cortex. Hofer, S. B, Mrsic-Flogel, T. D, Bonhoeffer, T., & Hübener, M. Nat Neurosci, 9(1):127-32, 2006.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
The brain has a remarkable capacity to adapt to alterations in its sensory environment, which is normally much more pronounced in juvenile animals. Here we show that in adult mice, the ability to adapt to changes can be improved profoundly if the mouse has already experienced a similar change in its sensory environment earlier in life. Using the standard model for sensory plasticity in mouse visual cortex-ocular dominance (OD) plasticity-we found that a transient shift in OD, induced by monocular deprivation (MD) earlier in life, renders the adult visual cortex highly susceptible to subsequent MD many weeks later. Irrespective of whether the first MD was experienced during the critical period (around postnatal day 28) or in adulthood, OD shifts induced by a second MD were faster, more persistent and specific to repeated deprivation of the same eye. The capacity for plasticity in the mammalian cortex can therefore be conditioned by past experience.
@Article{Hofer2006,
  author   = {Sonja B Hofer and Thomas D Mrsic-Flogel and Tobias Bonhoeffer and Mark H\"ubener},
  journal  = {Nat Neurosci},
  title    = {Prior experience enhances plasticity in adult visual cortex.},
  year     = {2006},
  number   = {1},
  pages    = {127-32},
  volume   = {9},
  abstract = {The brain has a remarkable capacity to adapt to alterations in its
	sensory environment, which is normally much more pronounced in juvenile
	animals. Here we show that in adult mice, the ability to adapt to
	changes can be improved profoundly if the mouse has already experienced
	a similar change in its sensory environment earlier in life. Using
	the standard model for sensory plasticity in mouse visual cortex-ocular
	dominance (OD) plasticity-we found that a transient shift in OD,
	induced by monocular deprivation (MD) earlier in life, renders the
	adult visual cortex highly susceptible to subsequent MD many weeks
	later. Irrespective of whether the first MD was experienced during
	the critical period (around postnatal day 28) or in adulthood, OD
	shifts induced by a second MD were faster, more persistent and specific
	to repeated deprivation of the same eye. The capacity for plasticity
	in the mammalian cortex can therefore be conditioned by past experience.},
  doi      = {10.1038/nn1610},
  keywords = {Aging, Animals, Binocular, Brain Mapping, Data Interpretation, Dominance, Electrophysiology, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Monocular, Neuronal Plasticity, Non-U.S. Gov't, Ocular, Photic Stimulation, Research Support, Retina, Statistical, Vision, Visual Cortex, 16327785},
}

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