Possible use-dependent changes in adult primate somatosensory cortex.
Topographic changes in adult primate somatosensory cortical maps have been reported to follow well-regulated manipulations in the animals' experience. We report briefly here cortical mapping data from one monkey which arrived at our laboratory with a chronic paralytic condition in one hand that resulted in a unique pattern of skin surface stimulation. Isolated receptive fields across the mediolateral extent of cortical area 3b were highly unusual with respect to normal topography, but they were completely consistent with the hypothesis that the correlated activation of peripheral afferents acts to shape expressed cortical receptive fields.
Garraghty
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PE
Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
Muja
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D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010243:Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012453:Saimiri / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*