This study examined how ethological learning (prey capture) during the visual critical period affects structural and functional plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice, compared to adult animals, with a focus on spine dynamics, synaptic remodeling, and the role of TNF-α–dependent homeostatic plasticity.
Prey capture learning during the critical period increased spine turnover, shifted spine density to new stable values across pyramidal neuron dendrites, improved temporal frequency discrimination, and required TNF-α–dependent homeostatic plasticity — none of which occurred in adult mice.
Study is conducted entirely in mice (prey capture model), limiting direct translation to human visual development; the specific cellular and molecular cascade downstream of TNF-α is not fully resolved; adult comparisons may not capture all age-related plasticity mechanisms.
Active, ethologically relevant visual experiences during critical developmental windows drive deeper and more persistent synaptic remodeling than passive exposure — a finding that may inform rehabilitation strategies for amblyopia or other developmental visual disorders that target critical period plasticity.
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