Abstract
Are the mechanisms driving somatosensory reorganization cortical or subcortical?
Highlights
It has been long known that somatosensory deafferentation can produce a dramatic reorganization of the somatotopic map, characterized by the retraction of the deafferented body part representation followed by expansion of unaffected body part representations (Pons et al, 1991)
In order to determine the extent to which different sites of somatosensory pathway potentially contribute to cortical plasticity, Kambi and colleagues lesioned the dorsal column in monkeys. They mapped the hand representation in area 3b during inactivation of the cortical face region or the cuneate nucleus. They showed that transient inactivation of normal chin representation in area 3b did not affect the expanded chin representation, even in the vicinity of the former face/hand boundary
Inactivation of the cuneate nucleus completely abolished responses of the expanded chin representation. These results suggest that after lesions of the dorsal column, reorganization in area 3b is dependent on plastic alterations in the brainstem, and not in the cortex
Summary
It has been long known that somatosensory deafferentation can produce a dramatic reorganization of the somatotopic map, characterized by the retraction of the deafferented body part representation followed by expansion of unaffected body part representations (Pons et al, 1991). Large-scale reorganization of the somatosensory cortex following spinal cord injuries is due to brainstem plasticity. In order to determine the extent to which different sites of somatosensory pathway potentially contribute to cortical plasticity, Kambi and colleagues lesioned the dorsal column in monkeys.
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