Apoptosis in the visual system of normal and dark-reared rats.

Apoptotic cell death, known to play a role in the developing brain, was immunocytochemically mapped in cortical and subcortical visual centers of Wistar rats developing under normal lighting conditions or in complete darkness. Apoptosis was relatively pronounced and exhibited the same developmental pattern in all visual centers examined. Visual deprivation was found to have negligible effects on apoptosis in subcortical areas, or to amplify it temporarily in the cerebral cortex. Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.