ORCID
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5168-3986
Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2019
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is organized into functional representations, or maps, defined by increased activity during specific tasks. In addition, the brain exhibits robust spontaneous activity with spatiotemporal organization that defines the brain’s functional architecture (termed functional connectivity). Task-evoked representations and functional connectivity demonstrate experience-dependent plasticity, and this plasticity may be important in neurological development and disease. An important case of this is in focal ischemic injury, which results in destruction of the involved representations and disruption of functional connectivity relationships. Behavioral recovery correlates with representation remapping and functional connectivity normalization, suggesting functional organization is critical for recovery and a potentially valuable therapeutic target. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive this systems-level plasticity are unknown, making it difficult to approach therapeutic modulation of functional brain organization. Using cortical neuroimaging in mice, this dissertation explores the role of specific genes in sensory deprivation induced functional brain map plasticity during development and after focal ischemic injury. In the three contained chapters, I demonstrate the following: 1) Arc, an excitatory neuron synaptic-plasticity gene, is required for representation remapping and behavioral recovery after focal cortical ischemia. Further, perilesional sensory deprivation can direct remapping and improve behavioral recovery. 2) Early visual experience modulates functional connectivity within and outside of the visual cortex through an Arc-dependent mechanism. 3) Electrically coupled inhibitory interneuron networks limit spontaneous activity syncrhony between distant cortical regions. This work starts to define the molecular basis for plasticity in functional brain organization and may help develop approaches for therapeutic modulation of functional brain organization.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Jin-Moo Lee
Committee Members
Joseph Culver, Nico Dosenbach, Marcus Raichle, Bradley Schlaggar,
Recommended Citation
Kraft, Andrew Wiggen, "Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for Functional Cortical Plasticity During Development and after Focal Ischemic Brain Injury" (2019). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1825.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1825
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/8sxr-xd80