Somatosensory system

About: Somatosensory system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6371 publications have been published within this topic receiving 316900 citations.

Carpal tunnel syndrome modifies sensory hand cortical somatotopy: A MEG study

Abstract: The adult somatosensory system has shown reorganizational abilities at cortical and subcortical levels after peripheral nerve lesions. In the present study the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are investigated as reflected on the somatotopy of the primary cortical hand representation. Position and intensity of cortical sources activated by the separate electrical stimulation of median nerve and Digits 1, 3, and 5 of both affected and non-affected hands are evaluated by magnetoencephalographic (MEG) technique. Correlation of MEG results with patient-, physician- and neurophysiological-oriented evaluations of CTS was carried out. Patients showed changes in cortical hand somatotopy in strict relationship to self-referred assessment of symptoms and hand disability in daily activities, including: 1) a more extended representation of the affected hand when paresthesias prevailed; and 2) a more restricted representation due to lateral shift of the little finger was observed when pain symptoms dominated the clinical picture. Contralateral to the side of CTS, the cortical sources activated by Digit 5-stimulation appeared significantly enhanced with respect to contralateral ones from non-affected hand. When comparing the amplitude of peripheral sensory nerve action potentials of median and ulnar nerves to that of cortical responses (i.e., ECD strengths of M20 and M30 components after stimulation of Digits 3 and 5), a significant selective amplification of M30 with respect to M20 and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) appeared during Digit 3 stimulation compared to that observed for Digit 5. This has been interpreted as a central magnification mechanism in brain responsiveness, possibly revealing a safety factor enabling sensory perception despite the small peripheral signal due to nerve trunk dysfunction. Hum.

Efferent neurons and suspected interneurons in motor cortex of the awake rabbit: axonal properties, sensory receptive fields, and subthreshold synaptic inputs

Abstract: 1. Properties of antidromically identified efferent neurons within the cortical representation of the vibrissae, sinus hairs, and philtrum were examined in motor cortex of fully awake adult rabbits. Efferent neurons were tested for both receptive field and axonal properties and included callosal (CC) neurons (n = 31), ipsilateral corticocortical (C-IC) neurons (n = 34) that project to primary somatosensory cortex (S-1), and corticofugal neurons of layer 5 (CF-5) (n = 33) and layer 6 (CF-6) (n = 32) that project to and/or beyond the thalamus. Appropriate collision tests demonstrated that substantial numbers of corticocortical efferent neurons project an axon to both the corpus callosum and to ipsilateral S-1. 2. Suspected interneurons (SINs, n = 37) were also studied. These neurons were not activated antidromically from any stimulus site but did respond synaptically to electrical stimulation of the ventrolateral (VL) thalamus and/or S-1 with a burst of three or more spikes at frequencies from 600 to > 900 Hz. All of these neurons also responded synaptically to stimulation of the corpus callosum. The action potentials of these neurons were much shorter in duration (mean = 0.48 ms), than those of efferent neurons (mean = 0.90 ms). 3. CF-5 neurons differed from CC, C-IC, and CF-6 neurons in their spontaneous firing rates, axonal properties, and receptive field properties. Whereas CF-5 neurons had a mean spontaneous firing rate of 4.1 spikes/s, CC, C-IC, and CF-6 neurons all had mean values of < 1 spike/s. Axonal conduction velocities of CF-5 neurons were much higher (mean = 12.76 m/s) than either CC (1.47 m/s), C-IC (0.97 m/s), or CF-6 (mean = 1.96 m/s) neurons. A decrease in antidromic latency (the "supernormal" period) followed a single prior impulse in most CC, C-IC, and CF-6 neurons but was minimal or absent in CF-5 neurons. Although all but two CF-5 neurons responded to peripheral sensory stimulation, many CC (35%), C-IC (59%), or CF-6 (66%) neurons did not. CC, CF-5, and CF-6 neurons that did not respond to sensory stimulation had significantly lower axonal conduction velocities and spontaneous firing rates than those that responded to such stimulation. 4. Sensory receptive fields of neurons in motor cortex were considerably larger than those observed in S-1 but were similar in size to those seen in secondary somatosensory cortex (S-2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cortically induced thalamic plasticity in the primate somatosensory system

Abstract: The influence of cortical feedback on receptive field organization in the thalamus was assessed in the primate somatosensory system. Chronic and acute suppression of neuronal activity in primary somatosensory cortex resulted in a striking enlargement of receptive fields in the ventroposterior thalamus. This finding demonstrates a dramatic 'top-down' influence of cortex on receptive field size in the somatosensory thalamus. In addition, this result has important implications for studies of adult neuronal plasticity because it indicates that changes in 'higher-order' areas of the brain can trigger extensive changes in the receptive field characteristics of neurons located earlier in the processing pathway.