# Cross-modal plasticity after the loss of vision at two early developmental ages in the posterior parietal cortex: Adult connections, cortical function and behavior.

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2024 · $41,819

## Abstract

The mammalian neocortex has a remarkable ability to change over a lifetime, particularly during early
development. The development of the cortex, sensory fields and their connections are dependent on the
incoming sensory inputs from the sensory receptors in the periphery. This early, spontaneous sensory
input, together with sensory experience from the environment shapes the neocortex to generate optimal
behavior. We know from studies in humans and rodents that early loss of vision leads to massive
changes in the brain; what would normally be visual and posterior parietal cortical areas contains
neurons that respond only to somatosensory and auditory stimulation. This reorganized occipital cortex
receives ectopic input from thalamic nuclei and cortical fields associated with somatosensory and
auditory processing. The current proposal addresses several fundamental questions raised by these
previous findings: 1) How does the age of onset of blindness differentially impact cortical connectivity of
the medial and lateral divisions of the posterior parietal cortex (PPCL and PPCM)? 2) What are the
single-neuron response properties in PPCM and PPCL, and does the age of blindness onset impact
these properties? 3) What is the relationship between functional and anatomical changes PPCL and
PPCM and the compensatory behaviors mediated by the spared sensory systems? In these
experiments, bilateral enucleations in the highly altricial short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica)
will be made at two developmental milestones: 1) Prior to the onset of spontaneous activity in the retina,
before retinal geniculate axons reach the thalamus, and before thalamocortical axons have innervated
the neocortex; 2) When spontaneous activity in the retina is ongoing and retinogeniculate and
thalamocortical axons have innervated their targets. Following enucleations, animals will be assessed at
two time points allowing us to directly assess the impacts of blindness at important developmental
milestones. These data can direct therapeutic interventions to compensate for the loss of vision that
targets higher-order cortical function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10932158
- **Project number:** 5F31EY034400-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Carlos Rodrigo Pineda
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $41,819
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10932158

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10932158, Cross-modal plasticity after the loss of vision at two early developmental ages in the posterior parietal cortex: Adult connections, cortical function and behavior. (5F31EY034400-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10932158. Licensed CC0.

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