study on nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor expression in the rat visual cortex: possible sites and mechanisms of NGF action in cortical plasticity

Neuronal plasticity is the term generally used to describe a great variety of changes in neuronal structure and functions, in particular activity-dependent, prolonged functional changes, accompanied by corresponding biochemical and possibly morphological alterations. The first insights about neuronal plasticity have been obtained on simple forms of life. Today, many areas in the mammalian central nervous system are under investigation, in particular the cortex and the hippocampus. In these areas, neuronal plasticity is considered to be at the basis of learning and memory. The study of brain plasticity in sensory systems has been particularly fruitful, because these systems can be experimentally manipulated in a very precise manner by changes in the sensory imput.