[Animal Modeling]-Form perception deprives tree shrews of the plasticity of the 17 areas of the visual cortex

  Objective: To explore the feasibility analysis of tree shrew as a new model of amblyopia; explore the plasticity mechanism of form deprivation of tree shrew's primary visual cortex, and provide a theoretical basis for further understanding of the formation and recovery mechanism of amblyopia.

  Methods: 60 tree shrews were randomly divided into 5 groups (12 in each group) about 30 days after birth: the right eye was sutured for 1 month; the right eye was sutured for 2 months; the right eye was sutured for 1 month and the left eye was sutured for 1 month. Change the suture group; the control group 1, the tree shrews of the same age and size in group A were reared in a normal environment; the control group 2, the tree shrews of the same age and size in groups B and C were reared in a normal environment. After the modeling was completed, the visual cortex was positioned and collected materials to observe the histology, ultrastructure, neuronal cell apoptosis and c-fos expression changes of the tree shrew under different conditions.

  Results: Compared with the control group, the visual cortex histology and electron microscopy of each experimental group showed different degrees of damage, and the injury was more obvious in the sutured group for 2 months; apoptosis staining showed that the experimental group was not different from the control group; c-fos The expression of protein and mRNA decreased in each experimental group, and the expression of the right eye group was the lowest after two months of suture. After the suture was changed, there was a slight increase in expression. There was no difference in the expression of c-fos between the control groups.

  Conclusion: Different degrees of form deprivation amblyopia cause different histopathological changes; neuronal damage caused by amblyopia is plastic; tree shrews can be used as an ideal animal model for form deprivation amblyopia.