Experience-dependent plasticity mechanisms for neural rehabilitation in somatosensory cortex.
Functional rehabilitation of the cortex following peripheral or central nervous system damage is likely to be improved by a combination of behavioural training and natural or therapeutically enhanced synaptic plasticity mechanisms. Experience-dependent plasticity studies in the somatosensory cortex have begun to reveal those synaptic plasticity mechanisms that are driven by sensory experience and might therefore be active during behavioural training. In this review the anatomical pathways, synaptic plasticity mechanisms and structural plasticity substrates involved in cortical plasticity are explored, focusing on work in the somatosensory cortex and the barrel cortex in particular.
Fox
Kevin
K
School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK. foxkd@cardiff.ac.uk
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*