Lower jaw-to-forepaw rapid and delayed reorganization in the rat forepaw barrel subfield in primary somatosensory cortex

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.