Effects of monocular deprivation on the expression pattern of alpha-1 and beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the kitten visual cortex

To examine how adrenergic receptors are regulated by experimental manipulation of sensory efferents, we performed immunohistochemical analysis on alpha (1)-, and beta (1)-adrenergic receptors in the brain of kittens. In normal development, these receptors were similarly expressed in both hemispheres of the occipital and frontal cortices. Notably, monocular deprivation during the sensitive period of ocular dominance plasticity significantly increased beta (1)-adrenergic receptor immunoreactivity in the visual cortex ipsilateral to the deprived eye. No increase in the intensity of the immunoreactivity for beta (1)-adrenergic receptors following monocular deprivation was found in the frontal and parietal regions of the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures, including the lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus. Furthermore, such hemispheric change was not found in the alpha (1)-adrenergic receptor immunoreactivity following monocular deprivation. Comparisons of images, obtained by double staining for microtubule-associated protein-2 or glial fibrillary acidic protein, indicated that the increased immunoreactivity was localized on both apical dendrites of deep layer neurons and glial cells. These results indicate that the monocular deprivation during the sensitive period of ocular dominance plasticity modified beta (1)-adrenergic receptor immunoreactivity, including that in glial cells. Therefore, it was suggested that beta (1)-adrenergic receptors in the glial cells also play important roles in the regulation of ocular dominance plasticity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.