Protein synthesis in the visual cortex is needed for ocular dominance plasticity

Experience-dependent remodelling of neural connections progresses through stages, and early phases eventually give way to later long-lasting ones. The transition from early to late stages, often associated with structural changes, depends on protein synthesis. Suppression of cortical but not geniculate protein synthesis blocks ocular dominance plasticity at its earliest stage, suggesting that structural changes occur rapidly in the visual cortex following monocular deprivation.