A Simple Rule for Dendritic Spine and Axonal Bouton Formation Can Account for Cortical Reorganization after Focal Retinal Lesions
Figure 3
Network rewiring in the model leads to a sequential increase in electrical activity from the border to the center of the LPZ.
A) Color-labeled are those synaptic connections that are newly formed after the lesion and impinge on neurons anywhere in the LPZ. Pre-existing and other connections are in gray, covering almost the entire background. Connections originating from neurons in the peri-LPZ are labeled green, from the border of the LPZ yellow and from the center blue. In the early phase, new connections are mainly formed from the peri-LPZ to the border of the LPZ. Due to fluctuations in activity, transient connections may also occur in the border or the center but usually disappear again later. In the middle phase, connections are formed from the border to the center, and finally in the late phase connections are added that originate from the center. B) In the early phase, new connections raise the activity in the border of the LPZ and subsequently in the center. Depending on the size of the LPZ, neurons in the center may fail to recover. Activities of individual neurons are interpolated to show the spatial distribution of activity in the LPZ and peri-LPZ. A) and B) are close-ups of the combined area of the LPZ and peri-LPZ. The relative size of the LPZ (border: orange; center: blue) and the peri-LPZ (green) to the entire network (gray) is indicated by the vertical and horizontal bars next to the upper right panel. Total number of neurons (excitatory and inhibitory): LPZ: 62 neurons; peri-LPZ: 71 neurons.