Long, intrinsic horizontal axons radiating through and beyond rat barrel cortex have spatial distributions similar to horizontal spreads of activity evoked by whisker stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Stimulation of a single whisker evokes a peak of activity that is centered over the associated barrel in rat primary somatosensory cortex, and yet the evoked local field potential and the intrinsic signal optical imaging response spread symmetrically away from this barrel for over 3.5 mm to cross cytoarchitectonic borders into other "unimodal" sensory cortical areas. To determine whether long horizontal axons have the spatial distribution necessary to underlie this activity spread, we injected adeno-associated viral vectors into barrel cortex and characterized labeled axons extending from the injection site in transverse sections of flattened cortex. Combined qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed labeled axons radiating diffusely in all directions for over 3.5 mm from supragranula

SUBMITTER: Johnson BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4821813 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature