Department of Physiology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China.
PLoS One. 2010 Oct 29;5(10):e13736. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013736.
Loss of a sensory function is often followed by the hypersensitivity of other modalities in mammals, which secures them well-awareness to environmental changes. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cross-modal sensory plasticity remain to be documented.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Multidisciplinary approaches, such as electrophysiology, behavioral task and immunohistochemistry, were used to examine the involvement of specific types of neurons in cross-modal plasticity. We have established a mouse model that olfactory deficit leads to a whisking upregulation, and studied how GABAergic neurons are involved in this cross-modal plasticity. In the meantime of inducing whisker tactile hypersensitivity, the olfactory injury recruits more GABAergic neurons and their fine processes in the barrel cortex, as well as upregulates their capacity of encoding action potentials. The hyperpolarization driven by inhibitory inputs strengthens the encoding ability of their target cells.
CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The upregulation of GABAergic neurons and the functional enhancement of neuronal networks may play an important role in cross-modal sensory plasticity. This finding provides the clues for developing therapeutic approaches to help sensory recovery and substitution.
在哺乳动物中，一种感觉功能的丧失通常伴随着其他感觉方式的超敏反应，这使它们能够很好地意识到环境的变化。跨感觉模式的可塑性的细胞和分子机制仍有待记录。
方法/主要发现：采用电生理学、行为任务和免疫组织化学等多学科方法，研究特定类型神经元在跨感觉模式可塑性中的作用。我们建立了一个嗅觉缺陷导致胡须上调的小鼠模型，并研究了 GABA 能神经元如何参与这种跨感觉模式可塑性。在诱导胡须触觉过敏的同时，嗅觉损伤会在桶状皮层中招募更多的 GABA 能神经元及其精细过程，并上调它们编码动作电位的能力。抑制性输入驱动的超极化增强了其靶细胞的编码能力。
结论/意义：GABA 能神经元的上调和神经网络的功能增强可能在跨感觉模式可塑性中发挥重要作用。这一发现为开发治疗方法以帮助感觉恢复和替代提供了线索。
