Cutaneous receptive field enlargement following skin-grafting in the frog, D. pictus

Abstract

Misdirected wiping responses occur in Discoglossus pictus frogs when skin-grafted early in larval life. Cutaneous receptive fields (CRF) for various peripheral nerve branches were mapped electrophysiologically in control and skin-grafted frogs. The ventrolateral nerve branch (VL) frequently provided innervation for significant areas of dorsal skin in both control and skin-grafted animals. Although the VL crossed over onto dorsal skin areas in some skin-grafted frogs giving rise to misdirected reflexes, these dorsal extensions frequently failed to include all skin areas from which the maladaptive reflexes could be elicited. It was concluded that misdirected reflexes are mediated via dorsal nerve branches occupying normal mid-dorsal areas of the back.