BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Neural Circuits
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncir.2025.1591983
Otx2 mRNA Expression is Downregulated Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Zebra Finches
Provisionally accepted
- Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, United States
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces a wide range of neurodegenerative symptoms, yet effective treatment strategies remain limited. Emerging evidence suggests that post-TBI recovery recapitulates aspects of early brain development, highlighting the potential for developmental molecular mechanisms to inform therapeutic interventions. The transcription factor Otx2 is critical for early brain and sensory organ development, as well as the maintenance of retinal and neural function in adulthood. Notably, the transfer of Otx2 homeoprotein into parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) GABAergic interneurons is essential for opening and closing critical periods of plasticity across vertebrates. Here, we investigate the acute regulation of Otx2 mRNA following TBI in adult zebra finches (ZF) to evaluate its potential as a target for future study and therapeutic manipulation in neural repair. Adult ZFs sustained unilateral hemispheric brain injuries, and qPCR was used to quantify Otx2 mRNA expression at 24 hours and 1 week post-injury in both males and females. Our findings reveal a significant downregulation of Otx2 mRNA expression following injury, highlighting Otx2 as a potential target for further investigation and manipulation. These results provide insight into the molecular response to brain injury and suggest a potential link between developmental pathways and post-injury plasticity.
Keywords: avian, Neuroprotection, injury, Homeoprotein, OTX2 gene
Received: 11 Mar 2025; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Duncan and Talwalkar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kelli A Duncan, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, United States
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