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Pellicer-Morata V, Wang L, Curry ADJ, Tsao JW, Waters RS. Lower jaw-to-forepaw rapid and delayed reorganization in the rat forepaw barrel subfield in primary somatosensory cortex. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:1651-1668. [PMID: 37496376 PMCID: PMC10530121 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
We used the forepaw barrel subfield (FBS), that normally receives input from the forepaw skin surface, in rat primary somatosensory cortex as a model system to study rapid and delayed lower jaw-to-forepaw cortical reorganization. Single and multi-unit recording from FBS neurons was used to examine the FBS for the presence of "new" lower jaw input following deafferentations that include forelimb amputation, brachial plexus nerve cut, and brachial plexus anesthesia. The major findings are as follows: (1) immediately following forelimb deafferentations, new input from the lower jaw becomes expressed in the anterior FBS; (2) 7-27 weeks after forelimb amputation, new input from the lower jaw is expressed in both anterior and posterior FBS; (3) evoked response latencies recorded in the deafferented FBS following electrical stimulation of the lower jaw skin surface are significantly longer in both rapid and delayed deafferents compared to control latencies for input from the forepaw to reach the FBS or for input from lower jaw to reach the LJBSF; (4) the longer latencies suggest that an additional relay site is imposed along the somatosensory pathway for lower jaw input to access the deafferented FBS. We conclude that different sources of input and different mechanisms underlie rapid and delayed reorganization in the FBS and suggest that these findings are relevant, as an initial step, for developing a rodent animal model to investigate phantom limb phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Pellicer-Morata
- Department of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health
Science Center, College of Medicine, 956 Court Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Lie Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of
Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine, 855 Monroe Avenue, Suite,
Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Amy de Jongh Curry
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Memphis, Herff College of Engineering, 3815 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN 38152,
USA
| | - Jack W. Tsao
- Department of Neurology, New York University, Langone
School of Medicine, 550 1 Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Robert S. Waters
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of
Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine, 855 Monroe Avenue, Suite,
Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Memphis, Herff College of Engineering, 3815 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN 38152,
USA
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Whitehead K, Papadelis C, Laudiano-Dray MP, Meek J, Fabrizi L. The Emergence of Hierarchical Somatosensory Processing in Late Prematurity. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:2245-2260. [PMID: 30843584 PMCID: PMC6458926 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The somatosensory system has a hierarchical organization. Information processing increases in complexity from the contralateral primary sensory cortex to bilateral association cortices and this is represented by a sequence of somatosensory-evoked potentials recorded with scalp electroencephalographies. The mammalian somatosensory system matures over the early postnatal period in a rostro-caudal progression, but little is known about the development of hierarchical information processing in the human infant brain. To investigate the normal human development of the somatosensory hierarchy, we recorded potentials evoked by mechanical stimulation of hands and feet in 34 infants between 34 and 42 weeks corrected gestational age, with median postnatal age of 3 days. We show that the shortest latency potential was evoked for both hands and feet at all ages with a contralateral somatotopic source in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI). However, the longer latency responses, localized in SI and beyond, matured with age. They gradually emerged for the foot and, although always present for the hand, showed a shift from purely contralateral to bilateral hemispheric activation. These results demonstrate the rostro-caudal development of human somatosensory hierarchy and suggest that the development of its higher tiers is complete only just before the time of normal birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Whitehead
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - C Papadelis
- Laboratory of Children's Brain Dynamics, Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - M P Laudiano-Dray
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - J Meek
- Neonatal Unit, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College London Hospitals, London, UK
| | - L Fabrizi
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
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Donadio A, Whitehead K, Gonzalez F, Wilhelm E, Formica D, Meek J, Fabrizi L, Burdet E. A novel sensor design for accurate measurement of facial somatosensation in pre-term infants. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207145. [PMID: 30444872 PMCID: PMC6239299 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial somatosensory feedback is critical for breastfeeding in the first days of life. However, its development has never been investigated in humans. Here we develop a new interface to measure facial somatosensation in newborn infants. The novel system allows to measure neuronal responses to touching the face of the subject by synchronously recording scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and the force applied by the experimenter. This is based on a dedicated force transducer that can be worn on the finger underneath a clinical nitrile glove and linked to a commercial EEG acquisition system. The calibrated device measures the pressure applied by the investigator when tapping the skin concurrently with the resulting brain response. With this system, we were able to demonstrate that taps of 192 mN (mean) reliably elicited facial somatosensory responses in 7 pre-term infants. These responses had a time course similar to those following limbs stimulation, but more lateral topographical distribution consistent with body representations in primary somatosensory areas. The method introduced can therefore be used to reliably measure facial somatosensory responses in vulnerable infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Donadio
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Kimberley Whitehead
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, United Kingdom
| | - Franck Gonzalez
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elisabeth Wilhelm
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Domenico Formica
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Judith Meek
- Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Obstetric Wing, University College London Hospitals, United Kingdom
| | - Lorenzo Fabrizi
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, United Kingdom
| | - Etienne Burdet
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom
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Mohammed H, Hollis ER. Cortical Reorganization of Sensorimotor Systems and the Role of Intracortical Circuits After Spinal Cord Injury. Neurotherapeutics 2018; 15:588-603. [PMID: 29882081 PMCID: PMC6095783 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-018-0638-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasticity of sensorimotor systems in mammals underlies the capacity for motor learning as well as the ability to relearn following injury. Spinal cord injury, which both deprives afferent input and interrupts efferent output, results in a disruption of cortical somatotopy. While changes in corticospinal axons proximal to the lesion are proposed to support the reorganization of cortical motor maps after spinal cord injury, intracortical horizontal connections are also likely to be critical substrates for rehabilitation-mediated recovery. Intrinsic connections have been shown to dictate the reorganization of cortical maps that occurs in response to skilled motor learning as well as after peripheral injury. Cortical networks incorporate changes in motor and sensory circuits at subcortical or spinal levels to induce map remodeling in the neocortex. This review focuses on the reorganization of cortical networks observed after injury and posits a role of intracortical circuits in recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisham Mohammed
- Burke Neurological Institute, 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA
| | - Edmund R Hollis
- Burke Neurological Institute, 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA.
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Wheaton LA. Neurorehabilitation in upper limb amputation: understanding how neurophysiological changes can affect functional rehabilitation. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2017; 14:41. [PMID: 28532464 PMCID: PMC5441064 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-017-0256-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Significant advances have been made in developing new prosthetic technologies with the goal of restoring function to persons that suffer partial or complete loss of the upper limb. Despite these technological advances, many challenges remain in understanding barriers in patient adoption of technology, and what critical factors should be of focus in prosthetics development from a motor control perspective. This points to a potential opportunity to improve our understanding of amputation using neurophysiology and plasticity, and integrate this knowledge into the development of prosthetics technology in novel ways. Here, argument will be made to include a stronger focus on the neural and behavioral changes that result from amputation, and a better appreciation of the time-scale of changes which may significantly affect device adaptation, functional device utility, and motor learning implemented in rehabilitation environments. Conclusion By strengthening our understanding of the neuroscience of amputation, we may improve the ability to couple neurorehabilitation with neuroengineering to support clinician needs in yielding improved outcomes in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis A Wheaton
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 555 14th Street, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0356, USA.
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Li CX, Yang Q, Waters RS. Functional and structural organization of the forelimb representation in cuneate nucleus in rat. Brain Res 2012; 1468:11-28. [PMID: 22800965 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.03.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2012] [Revised: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We examined the physiological representation of the forelimb in the cuneate nucleus (CN) of forelimb-intact young adult rats (n=38) as the first part in a series of studies aimed at understanding the possible role that CN plays in delayed cortical reorganization that follows forelimb amputation. Metabolic labeling with cytochrome oxidase (CO) and electrophysiological mapping were used to examine the relationship between the structural and functional organization of CN. CN is a cylinder-shaped structure that lies bilaterally in the brainstem and extends nearly 4mm in the rostrocaudal direction. The forelimb is represented along the rostrocaudal extent. CN contains three zones; the rostral and caudal zones receive input largely from deep muscle and joint receptors and a middle zone, in the vicinity of the obex, receives input primarily from cutaneous receptors in the skin. The middle zone is somatotopically organized with the glabrous digits represented centrally, bordered on the medial side by ulnar wrist, ulnar forearm, and posterior upper arm representations; on the lateral side by radial wrist, radial forearm, and anterior upper arm representations; and on dorsal side by the dorsal digits and dorsal hand. The middle zone also contains well-defined CO-filled glomerular structures, called barrelettes, which are located within a homogenously stained field. The barrelettes are associated with the representation of the glabrous digits, with D5 represented most dorsal followed sequentially in a ventral-to-lateral direction by the representation of D4, D3, D2, and D1. The digit representations are topographically organized with the distal digit surface represented laterally with respect to the more medially lying proximal digit surface. The digit and palmar pads are also represented by barrelettes located on the medial side of CN. In contrast, the dorsal digit surfaces are represented dorsally and the dorsal hand is represented directly beneath the cuneate fasciculus, in a region devoid of barrelettes. The representations of the ulnar and radial wrist, forearm, and upper arm also lie within the homogeneously stained field in CN. The forelimb representation is bordered on the medial side by representation of trunk and hindlimb, and on the lateral side by representation of shoulder, ear, and head. While the present findings support and extend previous electrophysiological and anatomical studies of CN in the rat, they also provide a detailed physiological description of the functional organization of CN that is necessary for subsequent understanding of the functional reorganization of CN that may result following forelimb amputation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng X Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine, 855 Monroe Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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Lane RD, Pluto CP, Kenmuir CL, Chiaia NL, Mooney RD. Does reorganization in the cuneate nucleus following neonatal forelimb amputation influence development of anomalous circuits within the somatosensory cortex? J Neurophysiol 2007; 99:866-75. [PMID: 18032566 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00867.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonatal forelimb amputation in rats produces sprouting of sciatic nerve afferent fibers into the cuneate nucleus (CN) and results in 40% of individual CN neurons expressing both forelimb-stump and hindlimb receptive fields. The forelimb-stump region of primary somatosensory cortex (S-I) of these rats contains neurons in layer IV that express both stump and hindlimb receptive fields. However, the source of the aberrant input is the S-I hindlimb region conveyed to the S-I forelimb-stump region via intracortical projections. Although the reorganization in S-I reflects changes in cortical circuitry, it is possible that these in turn are dependent on the CN reorganization. The present study was designed to directly test whether the sprouting of sciatic afferents into the CN is required for expression of the hindlimb inputs in the S-I forelimb-stump field. To inhibit sprouting, neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) was applied to the cut nerves following amputation. At P60 or older, NT-3-treated rats showed minimal sciatic nerve fibers in the CN. Multiunit electrophysiological recordings in the CN of NT-3-treated, amputated rats revealed 6.3% of sites were both stump/hindlimb responsive, compared with 30.5% in saline-treated amputated animals. Evaluation of the S-I following GABA receptor blockade, revealed that the percentage of hindlimb responsive sites in the stump representation of the NT-3-treated rats (34.2%) was not significantly different from that in saline-treated rats (31.5%). These results indicate that brain stem reorganization in the form of sprouting of sciatic afferents into the CN is not necessary for development of anomalous hindlimb receptive fields within the S-I forelimb/stump region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard D Lane
- Department of Neurosciences, Toledo, College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614-2598, USA.
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Woolsey TA. Should One Hand (Paw) Really Not Know What the Other Is Doing? Focus on “Reducing Contralateral SI Activity Reveals Hindlimb Receptive Fields in the SI Forelimb-Stump Representation of Neonatally Amputated Rats”. J Neurophysiol 2005; 94:1666-7. [PMID: 16105953 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00518.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Pluto CP, Lane RD, Rhoades RW. Local GABA Receptor Blockade Reveals Hindlimb Responses in the SI Forelimb-Stump Representation of Neonatally Amputated Rats. J Neurophysiol 2004; 92:372-9. [PMID: 15014101 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01169.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In adult rats that sustained forelimb amputation on the day of birth, there are numerous multi-unit recording sites in the forelimb-stump representation of primary somatosensory cortex (SI) that also respond to cutaneous stimulation of the hindlimb when cortical receptors for GABA are blocked. These normally suppressed hindlimb inputs originate in the SI hindlimb representation and synapse in the dysgranular cortex before exciting SI forelimb-stump neurons. In our previous studies, GABA (A + B) receptor blockade was achieved by topically applying a bicuculline methiodide/saclofen solution (BMI/SAC) to the cortical surface. This treatment blocks receptors throughout SI and does not allow determination of where along the above circuit the GABA-mediated suppression of hindlimb information occurs. In this study, focal injections of BMI/SAC were delivered to three distinct cortical regions that are involved in the hindlimb-to-forelimb-stump pathway. Blocking GABA receptors in the SI hindlimb representation and in the dysgranular cortex was largely ineffective in revealing hindlimb inputs (∼10% of hindlimb inputs were revealed in both cases). In contrast, when the blockade was targeted at forelimb-stump recording sites, >80% of hindlimb inputs were revealed. Thus GABAergic interneurons within the forelimb-stump representation suppress the expression of reorganized hindlimb inputs to the region. A circuit model incorporating these and previous observations is presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles P Pluto
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo 43614, USA.
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Hattox AM. Whisking as a "voluntary" response: operant control of whisking parameters and effects of whisker denervation. Somatosens Mot Res 2004; 20:303-6. [PMID: 14675971 DOI: 10.1080/08990220310001623031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The rat's ability to vary its whisking "strategies" to meet the functional demands of a discriminative task suggests that whisking may be characterized as a "voluntary" behavior--an operant--and like other operants, should be modifiable by appropriate manipulations of response-reinforcer contingencies. To test this hypothesis we have used high-resolution, optoelectronic "real-time" recording procedures to monitor the movements of individual whiskers and reinforce specific movement parameters (amplitude, frequency). In one operant paradigm (N = 9) whisks with protractions above a specified amplitude were reinforced (Variable Interval 30 s) in the presence of a tone, but extinguished (EXT) in its absence. In a second paradigm (N = 3), rats were reinforced on two different VI schedules (VI-20s/VI-120s) signaled, respectively, by the presence or absence of the tone. Selective reinforcement of whisking movements maintained the behavior over many weeks of testing and brought it under stimulus and schedule control. Subjects in the first paradigm learned to increase responding in the presence of the tone and inhibit responding in its absence. In the second paradigm, subjects whisked at significantly different rates in the two stimulus conditions. Bilateral deafferentation of the whisker pad did not impair conditioned whisking or disrupt discrimination behavior. Our results confirm the hypothesis that rodent whisking has many of the properties of an operant response. The ability to bring whisking movement parameters under operant control should facilitate electrophysiological and lesion/behavioral studies of this widely used "model" sensorimotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis M Hattox
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA.
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