Enhancement of synaptic strength in the somatosensory cortex following nerve injury does not parallel behavioural alterations

Following infraorbital nerve transection, underlying mechanisms of the altered synaptic strength were studied in rat barrel cortex slice experiments. In addition to the in vitro electrophysiological studies, open-field tests were run to detect possible behavioural changes associated with cortical ov...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBrain research bulletin Vol. 64; no. 6; pp. 463 - 469
Main Authors Világi, I., Bárdos, G., Dénes, K., Farkas, B., Friedrich, P.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 30.01.2005
Subjects
2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate - pharmacology
Animals
Barrel cortex
Behavior, Animal
Behaviour
Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
Electric Stimulation - methods
Evoked Potentials - drug effects
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Evoked Potentials - radiation effects
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology
Excitatory amino acid receptors
Exploratory Behavior - physiology
Facial Nerve Injuries - physiopathology
Female
In Vitro Techniques
Long-Term Potentiation - drug effects
Long-Term Potentiation - radiation effects
Male
Motor Activity - physiology
Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
Open-field
Rat
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Regeneration
Somatosensory Cortex - physiopathology
Synaptic strength
Time Factors
Open-field
Barrel cortex
Regeneration
AMPA
Synaptic strength
Rat
Behaviour
APV
NMDA
Excitatory amino acid receptors
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Summary:Following infraorbital nerve transection, underlying mechanisms of the altered synaptic strength were studied in rat barrel cortex slice experiments. In addition to the in vitro electrophysiological studies, open-field tests were run to detect possible behavioural changes associated with cortical oversensitization. Enhanced NMDA receptor-mediated component of the evoked field response appeared in the barrel cortex after nerve injury. The alteration was transient, very distinct on the first day following injury, and almost returned to normal level by the end of the second week. Behavioural changes had not followed this time-course since long-lasting alterations were detected in the open-field test. These observations are in agreement with findings that showed biphasic regenerative processes following nerve injuries in other cortical areas.
ISSN:0361-9230
1873-2747
DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2004.06.012