Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
1996-4-3
pubmed:abstractText
1. To test the hypothesis that subtotal deafferentation of dorsal horn cells can stimulate plastic changes in their receptive fields (RFs), diffuse deafferentation of the cat hindlimb dorsal horn was produced by transection of L7 or L6 and L7 dorsal roots. The following single-unit cutaneous low-threshold mechanoreceptor RF properties were compared between operated and control dorsal horns: 1) distance of RF center from tips of toes, 2) RF length-width ratio; and 3) RF area. 2. In both L7 and L6-L7 rhizotomized animals there was an increased incidence of silent electrode tracks in the most deafferented portion of the hindlimb map (the foot and toe representation). In the rhizotomized L6-L7 animals, there was also an increased incidence of symmetrically placed tracks in deafferented and control dorsal horns, in which cell RFs had no mirror-symmetrical components. In addition, cells in the lateral half of the L6 and L7 dorsal horns exhibited a proximal shift in the location of their RFs. In the rhizotomized L7 animals there was a distal shift of RFs in the L5 segment at long survival times. RFs had lower length-width ratios in L5 and L6 at short survival times and in L6 at long survival times. 3. In intact preparations, dorsal horn cells normally respond to inputs via single or small numbers of low-threshold cutaneous mechanoreceptors. Because these rhizotomies do not remove all inputs from any given area of skin, the deafferentations would produce only patchy loss of input from individual receptors. Therefore observed changes cannot be accounted for entirely by loss of afferent input, suggesting that some reorganization of dorsal horn cell RFs occurred. We conclude that the threshold stimulus for plastic change is less than total deafferentation of dorsal horn cells. At least some of the mechanisms underlying these changes may be active in normal animals in the maintenance of the somatotopic map or in conditioning.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0022-3077
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
74
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
2065-76
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1995
pubmed:articleTitle
Quantitative analysis of dorsal horn cell receptive fields following limited deafferentation.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't