Gliotoxin-induced suppression of ocular dominance plasticity in kitten visual cortex.

We studied the role of astrocytes in the regulation of ocular dominance plasticity. A small quantity of 10 microM fluorocitrate (0.2 nmol in 20 microliters) was pressure-injected into the visual cortex of 7-9-week-old kittens (subcortical depth: 0-5 mm, 20 microliters/10 min). Immediately after injection, 1 eye contralateral to the injected cortex was closed for 3 days. Single-unit recordings revealed that the proportion of binocular cells was significantly higher in a region close (approximately 1 mm) to the fluorocitrate injection site than that in a remote region (> 4 mm) within the same hemisphere and that in the opposite hemisphere. The results suggest that reduction of glial functions by fluorocitrate retarded the usual process of shift in ocular dominance of visual cells following monocular deprivation.