Nitric oxide, impulse activity, and neurotrophins in visual system development(1).

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Mize RR, Lo F

Nitric oxide, impulse activity, and neurotrophins in visual system development(1).

Brain Res. 2000 Dec 15;886(1-2):15-32. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)02750-5.

PubMed ID

11119684 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

Topographic refinement of synaptic connections within the developing visual system involves a variety of molecules which interact with impulse activity in order to produce the precise retinotopic maps found in the adult brain. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in this process, as have various growth factors. Within the subcortical visual system, we have recently shown that nitric oxide contributes to pathway refinement in the superior colliculus (SC). Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are also expressed in SC during the time that this pathway undergoes refinement. The role of NO has been demonstrated by showing that refinement of ipsilateral fibers in the retinocollicular pathway is significantly delayed in gene knockout mice in which both the endothelial and neuronal isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have been disrupted. The effect also depends upon Ca(2+) channels because refinement of both the ipsilateral retinocollicular and retinogeniculate pathways is disrupted in genetic mutants in which the beta3 subunit of the Ca(2+) channel has been deleted. LTD may also be involved in this process, because the time course of its expression correlates with that of pathway refinement and LTD magnitude is depressed by nitrendipine, an L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker. LTP is also expressed during early postnatal development in the LGN and SC and may contribute to synaptic stabilization. The role of neurotrophins in pathway refinement in the visual system is also reviewed.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Targets

Drug	Target	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Nitrendipine	Voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel (Protein Group)	Protein group	Humans	Unknown	Inhibitor	Details