WWW.JNEUROSCI.ORG
-
The Journal of Neuroscience Discover www.zeiss.de/functionality
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
-


HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Carvell, G. E.
Right arrow Articles by Simons, D. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Carvell, G. E.
Right arrow Articles by Simons, D. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 16, 2750-2757, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Neuroscience

ARTICLE

Abnormal tactile experience early in life disrupts active touch

GE Carvell and DJ Simons
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.

The importance of early tactile experience in the development of discriminative somatomotor function was assessed by examining the proficiency and movement strategies of rats raised without normal sensory inputs provided by their mystacial vibrissae. Infant-trimmed animals had their whiskers clipped daily from birth to 45 d of age, after which they were allowed to regrow for 60-70 d before initiation of behavioral training, which lasted as long as several months. Adult- trimmed animals had their whiskers trimmed for comparable periods during adulthood. Rats were tested on one of two tactile discriminations, rough versus smooth or rough versus rough, that differed with respect to the overall size of their surface features. Whisker movements during task performance were examined in detail using video-based motion analysis software. Infant-trimmed animals performed rough versus smooth discriminations as well as adult-trimmed rats or normally reared animals. Except for one subject, infant-trimmed rats were severely impaired in their ability to distinguish rough versus rough surfaces. Deficits persisted in spite of months of training with the regrown vibrissae. The animals that failed to master this task displayed whisking patterns that notably lacked frequencies in the normal range of 6-12 Hz. Thus, abnormal tactile experience early in life substantially, and perhaps permanently, impairs sensorimotor integration underlying active touch.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
S.-H. Lee, P. W. Land, and D. J. Simons
Layer- and Cell-Type-Specific Effects of Neonatal Whisker-Trimming in Adult Rat Barrel Cortex
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2007; 97(6): 4380 - 4385.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
M. Shoykhet, P. W. Land, and D. J. Simons
Whisker Trimming Begun at Birth or on Postnatal Day 12 Affects Excitatory and Inhibitory Receptive Fields of Layer IV Barrel Neurons
J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2005; 94(6): 3987 - 3995.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
C. I. Moore
Frequency-Dependent Processing in the Vibrissa Sensory System
J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2004; 91(6): 2390 - 2399.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Physiol.Home page
Q.-T. Nguyen, R. Wessel, and D. Kleinfeld
Developmental regulation of active and passive membrane properties in rat vibrissa motoneurones
J. Physiol., April 1, 2004; 556(1): 203 - 219.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
R. W. Berg and D. Kleinfeld
Rhythmic Whisking by Rat: Retraction as Well as Protraction of the Vibrissae Is Under Active Muscular Control
J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2003; 89(1): 104 - 117.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
R. N. S. Sachdev, T. Sato, and F. F. Ebner
Divergent Movement of Adjacent Whiskers
J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2002; 87(3): 1440 - 1448.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
M. S. Landers and R. M. Sullivan
Vibrissae-Evoked Behavior and Conditioning before Functional Ontogeny of the Somatosensory Vibrissae Cortex
J. Neurosci., June 15, 1999; 19(12): 5131 - 5137.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cereb CortexHome page
A. A. Ghazanfar and M. A.L. Nicolelis
Spatiotemporal Properties of Layer V Neurons of the Rat Primary Somatosensory Cortex
Cereb Cortex, June 1, 1999; 9(4): 348 - 361.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
M. Maalouf, A. A. Miasnikov, and R. W. Dykes
Blockade of Cholinergic Receptors in Rat Barrel Cortex Prevents Long-Term Changes in the Evoked Potential During Sensory Preconditioning
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 1998; 80(2): 529 - 545.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
G. W. Huntley
Differential Effects of Abnormal Tactile Experience on Shaping Representation Patterns in Developing and Adult Motor Cortex
J. Neurosci., December 1, 1997; 17(23): 9220 - 9232.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


-

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help
-
Copyright 2008 by Society for Neuroscience ONLINE ISSN: 1529-2401
-