Subbarrel domains in rat somatosensory (S1) cortex.
We used cytochrome oxidase (CO) histochemistry in conjunction with other histological methods to investigate the histochemoarchitecture of barrel hollows in rat somatosensory cortex. We found that individual large barrels in the posteromedial barrel subfield encompass two or three discrete subbarrel domains. Detailed analysis revealed, further, that subbarrel domains are relatively consistent in size, each having average dimensions that approximate those of large barrels in mouse S1. Unexpectedly, subbarrel domains are organized into a few distinct, repeated patterns. The small barrels in rat anterolateral barrel subfield and all barrel hollows in mouse S1 appear to consist of single CO domains. Subbarrel domains revealed here by CO are columnar entities that correspond with cyto- and myeloarchitectonic inhomogeneities within the barrels and are enriched in thalamocortical axon terminals. The present findings together with existing data indicate that barrels in rat posteromedial barrel subfield are structurally and functionally heterogeneous.
Land
Peter W
PW
Department of Neurobiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. pland@pitt.edu
Erickson
Susan L
SL
D000818:Animals; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation*
D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV