Down-regulation of β-adrenergic receptor following long-term monocular deprivation in cat visual cortex

Abstract

To examine how adrenergic receptor binding is modified by experimental manipulation of sensory afferent, we carried out binding experiments (membrane fraction and in vitro autoradiography) for both α 2- and β-adrenergic receptors in the brain of cats which had been deprived of vision in one eye. In the cerebral cortex of control animals, β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) binding was found to be higher in the occipital regions than in other regions, while α 2-AR binding was relatively uniform. Monocular deprivation throughout the postnatal sensitive period (1–7 month of age) significantly decreased β-AR binding in the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus. Scatchard plot analysis in the visual cortex showed ca. 50% reduction in B max and little change in K d No significant difference was found in α 2-AR binding following monocular deprivation. Similar extent of down-regulation in β-AR binding was confirmed in all layers of visual cortex using autoradiography.