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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Synesthesia01:27

Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...

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Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Juvenile Brain Olfactory Sensory Neuron Synaptic Connectivity in an Early-Life Critical Period
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Sensory experience alters cortical connectivity and synaptic function site specifically.

Claire E J Cheetham1, Martin S L Hammond, Clarissa E J Edwards

  • 1Medical Research Council Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|March 30, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Sensory deprivation in adult rats reduces neuronal connectivity in deprived cortex but strengthens connections in spared cortex. This rewiring of neocortical circuitry explains how spared brain areas expand into deprived regions.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • Neocortical circuitry changes with experience throughout life.
  • The roles of synaptic strength and neuronal wiring in adult experience-dependent plasticity are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate experience-dependent plasticity in mature neocortical circuitry.
  • To determine how sensory deprivation affects synaptic strength and neuronal connectivity in the primary somatosensory cortex.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings and miniature EPSP measurements in rats after whisker trimming.
  • Whole-cell recordings from synaptically connected layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons.
  • 3D reconstruction of neurons using confocal microscopy and image deconvolution to identify synapses.

Main Results:

  • Sensory deprivation reduced local excitatory connectivity between layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in deprived cortex.
  • No significant compensatory increase in the strength of remaining local excitatory connections was observed.
  • In spared cortex, connection strength was potentiated without changes in connectivity or synapse number.

Conclusions:

  • Experience-dependent plasticity involves distinct alterations in neuronal connectivity and synaptic strength in deprived versus spared cortical areas.
  • Reduced local excitatory connectivity in deprived cortex facilitates the expansion of spared representations.
  • These findings explain the dissociation in responses between spared and deprived cortex to sensory deprivation in mature animals.