Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 5, 1925-1933, Copyright © 1985 by Society for Neuroscience
DSP-4 (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine) depletes noradrenaline in kitten visual cortex without altering the effects of monocular deprivation
NW Daw, TO Videen, D Parkinson and RK Rader
Kittens were given N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) to
deplete cortical noradrenaline (NA) in order to test whether this would
affect the results of monocular deprivation. Seven kittens that received
DSP-4 systemically had cortical NA depleted by 25 to 98%, and six kittens
that received DSP-4 in the lateral ventricle had cortical NA depleted by 72
to 92%. In all of these kittens, suturing shut the eyelids of one eye for 1
to 2 weeks produced a visual cortex in which most neurons responded only or
most strongly to the eye that remained open. These results are considered
together with previous results from our laboratory on monocular deprivation
and NA depletion. There is little difference between the ocular dominance
histograms of depleted and undepleted animals and little correlation
between the extent of the ocular dominance shift and the extent of NA
depletion. We conclude that depletion of cortical NA by itself does not
prevent the cortical effects of monocular deprivation and that, where such
an effect has been found, it may be due to some other factor.