Basal forebrain lesions alter stimulus-evoked metabolic activity in rat somatosensory cortex.
Acetylcholine (ACh) has been suggested to play a crucial role in normal cortical functioning. To assess the impact of cortical ACh depletion on metabolic activity in the barrel field of rat somatosensory cortex, unilateral lesions of the basal forebrain were made. One to 9 weeks later, a 2-deoxyglucose experiment was conducted. Stimulus-evoked metabolic activity in the barrel field ipsilateral to the lesion was significantly reduced compared with the contralateral side. These results suggest that ACh plays a significant role in processing stimulus-evoked sensory information.
Jacobs
S E
SE
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Code
R A
RA
Juliano
S L
SL
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology
D003847:Deoxyglucose; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D000109:Acetylcholine