Representation of a single vibrissa in the rat neostriatum: peaks of energy metabolism reveal a distributed functional module.
In unanaesthetized rats, mechanical stimulation of a single vibrissa increased glucose utilization in one cortical column of the somatosensory area and in several spots in the dorsolateral neostriatum, predominantly on the side contralateral to the stimulation. Two or three peaks of glucose utilization unique to the stimulated animals were seen in cross sections throughout a 1.8 mm anteroposterior extent in the dorsolateral striatum. These observations suggest that one cortical column is functionally related to several neostriatal regions. The distributed modularity may be an important characteristic of the basal ganglia system.
Brown
L L
LL
Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Hand
P J
PJ
Divac
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology*