Age-related changes in primary somatosensory cortex of rats: evidence for parallel degenerative and plastic-adaptive...

Aged rats show a characteristic decline of the sensorimotor state, most strikingly expressed in an impairment of the hindlimbs leading to significantly reduced sensory stimulation on the hindpaw. We review recent studies using optical imaging and electrophysiological recordings to investigate the effects of aging on somatosensory cortex and to identify age-related changes in terms of degeneration or plastic adaptation. For the cortical hindpaw representation, reduction of map size, receptive field enlargement and reduced response strength were described. None of these changes were reported in the forepaw representation in the same individual, however, in both the fore-and hindpaw representations response latencies and cerebral blood flow were affected. Changes of latencies and blood flow are best explained by degeneration, but the regional and specific changes of maps, receptive fields and response strength by plastic phenomena arising from the reduced sensory inputs. While the degenerative changes are not modifiable by enriched environmental conditions or application of Ca(2+) blocker, the plastic changes were fully reversible under these conditions. We discuss the implications of these findings for cognitive functions at old age and possible treatments of age-related changes in human subjects.