title: Neonatal Restriction of Tactile Inputs Leads to Long-Lasting Impairments of Cross-Modal Processing.
abstract: Optimal behavior relies on the combination of inputs from multiple senses through complex interactions within neocortical networks. The ontogeny of this multisensory interplay is still unknown. Here, we identify critical factors that control the development of visual-tactile processing by combining in vivo electrophysiology with anatomical/functional assessment of cortico-cortical communication and behavioral investigation of pigmented rats. We demonstrate that the transient reduction of unimodal (tactile) inputs during a short period of neonatal development prior to the first cross-modal experience affects feed-forward subcortico-cortical interactions by attenuating the cross-modal enhancement of evoked responses in the adult primary somatosensory cortex. Moreover, the neonatal manipulation alters cortico-cortical interactions by decreasing the cross-modal synchrony and directionality in line with the sparsification of direct projections between primary somatosensory and visual cortices. At the behavioral level, these functional and structural deficits resulted in lower cross-modal matching abilities. Thus, neonatal unimodal experience during defined developmental stages is necessary for setting up the neuronal networks of multisensory processing.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sieben
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bieler
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Röder
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ileana L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Hanganu-Opatz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019579:Neocortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014110:Touch; D055698:Touch Perception; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000293:injuries; D014796:Visual Perception