title: Time course of recovery of the somatosensory map following hindpaw sensory deprivation in the rat.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Plasticité Neuromusculaire, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, bâtiment SN4, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Canu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langlet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falempin
mesh_terms: 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