Voltage-sensitive dye imaging of intervibrissal fur-evoked activity in the rat somatosensory cortex
- 作者：Takashima ; Ichiro ; Kajiwara ; Riichi ; Iijima ; Toshio
- 关键词：Vibrissae ; Intervibrissal fur ; Barrel cortex ; PMBSF ; Optical imaging ; Voltage-sensitive dye
- 刊名：Neuroscience Letters
- 出版年：2005
- 期刊代码：52_03043940
- 类别：neu
- 出版时间：June 24, 2005
- 卷：381
- 期：3
- 页码：258-263
- 文件大小：357 K
摘要
The intervibrissal fur-evoked activity in the rat somatosensory cortex was investigated using high-resolution optical imaging with a voltage-sensitive dye. The optical imaging revealed that the intervibrissal fur representation forms a U-shaped band around the borders of the posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF), and that this representation is characterized by a rostral-to-caudal somatotopic organization. When GABAA-mediated inhibition was partially suppressed by treatment with bicuculline, stimulation of the intervibrissal fur elicited spreading of an excitation wave in an area outside the PMBSF. The spreading wave propagated in both directions along the aforementioned U-shaped band of cortex, but barely invaded the center of the PMBSF. These imaging results suggest a distinct subdivision of cortex adjacent to, but outside, the PMBSF in the rat somatosensory cortex; this region receives input from intervibrissal fur, and seems to process its sensory information through well-developed local horizontal connections.