Electroacupuncture improves V1 cortex synaptic plasticity via the CREB/BDNF/TrkB pathway in juvenile rats with monocular deprivation.

The present study aims to investigate the impact of the CREB/BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway on synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex of juvenile amblyopic rats that have undergone monocular deprivation (MD). This study involved sixty 2-week-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) juvenile rats, which were not specified by gender. In the first part of the study, 24 rats were randomized into control and MD groups; In the second part, 36 rats were randomized into MD, electroacupuncture (EA) and EA + CREB antagonist (666-15) groups.