Affiliations: Istituto di Neurofisiologia del CNR, Via S. Zeno 51
and Scuola Normale Superiore, P.zza dei Cavalieri 7, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Note: [] Corresponding author: Istituto di Neurofisiologia del CNR, Via
S. Zeno 51, 56127 Pisa, Italy. Tel.: +39 50 559715; Fax: +39 50 559725; E-mail:
[email protected].
Abstract: A role for neurotrophins in regulating cortical developmental
plasticity has clearly emerged in these last years. In this review we first
present a summary of the early data on the action of NGF in visual cortical
development and plasticity in the rat and of the actions of the other
neurotrophins in the visual cortex of other mammals. In addition, in order to
clarify the differerences in the results obtained with the various
neurotrophins in different animal preparations we also report new data on the
action of NGF, BDNF, NT3 and NT4 in the same preparation, namely the visual
cortex of the rat. We discuss old and new results in a physiological model
where different neurotrophins play different roles in regulating visual
cortical development and plasticity by acting on different neural targets, such
as LGN afferents, intracortical circuitry and subcortical afferents and propose
a tentative scheme summarizing these actions.
