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The Journal of Neuroscience, October 22, 2008, 28(43):11042-11060; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2334-08.2008
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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Large-Scale Reorganization in the Somatosensory Cortex and Thalamus after Sensory Loss in Macaque Monkeys
Neeraj Jain,1,2 Hui-Xin Qi,2 Christine E. Collins,2 andJon H. Kaas2 1National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Haryana 122050, India, and 2Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Correspondence should be addressed to Neeraj Jain, National Brain Research Centre, N.H. 8, Manesar, Haryana, 122050, India. Email: neeraj.jain{at}nbrc.ac.in
Adult brains undergo large-scale plastic changes after peripheral and central injuries. Although it has been shown that both the cortical and thalamic representations can reorganize, uncertainties exist regarding the extent, nature, and time course of changes at each level. We have determined how cortical representations in the somatosensory area 3b and the ventroposterior (VP) nucleus of thalamus are affected by long standing unilateral dorsal column lesions at cervical levels in macaque monkeys. In monkeys with recovery periods of 22–23 months, the intact face inputs expanded into the deafferented hand region of area 3b after complete or partial lesions of the dorsal columns. The expansion of the face region could extend all the way medially into the leg and foot representations. In the same monkeys, similar expansions of the face representation take place in the VP nucleus of the thalamus, indicating that both these processing levels undergo similar reorganizations. The receptive fields of the expanded representations were similar in somatosensory cortex and thalamus. In two monkeys, we determined the extent of the brain reorganization immediately after dorsal column lesions. In these monkeys, the deafferented regions of area 3b and the VP nucleus became unresponsive to the peripheral touch immediately after the lesion. No reorganization was seen in the cortex or the VP nucleus. A comparison of the extents of deafferentation across the monkeys shows that even if the dorsal column lesion is partial, preserving most of the hand representation, it is sufficient to induce an expansion of the face representation.
Key words: plasticity; spinal cord injury; dorsal column; primate; microelectrode; mapping; receptive field
Received May 19, 2008; revised Aug. 15, 2008; accepted Sept. 18, 2008.
Correspondence should be addressed to Neeraj Jain, National Brain Research Centre, N.H. 8, Manesar, Haryana, 122050, India. Email: neeraj.jain{at}nbrc.ac.in
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