Time course of recovery of the somatosensory map following hindpaw sensory deprivation in the rat.
Hindlimb sensory deprivation is known to induce a decrease in the cortical representation of hindpaw, and an increase in the size of the cutaneous receptive fields. The aim of the present study was to determine (i) the time-course of recovery when the rat retrieves a normal use of its limbs after a 14-day period of sensory disruption and (ii) whether a 1-day period of sensory deprivation is sufficient to induce a plasticity. Our results indicate that the remodelling of the cortical map was not observed after 1 day of sensory deprivation. On the other hand, the recovery was achieved after 6 h. These findings suggest that a procedure reducing sensory function resulted in reversible changes in the somatosensory cortex. The recovery was more rapid than the induction of plasticity.
Dupont
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E
Laboratoire de Plasticité Neuromusculaire, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, bâtiment SN4, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France.
Canu
M H
MH
Langlet
C
C
Falempin
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation