Rarely have the many mechanisms that might underlie neural plasticity been examined as explicitly as they are in this broad, lavishly illustrated treatment of plasticity in the somatosensory system. The reader is provided with state-of-the-art knowledge of connections at all levels of the somatosensory system. The authors examine the propensity for changes of connectivity in both the mature and developing mammal and make clear proposals regarding the mechanisms underlying these changes. Their functional significance to relevant psychophysical and neurological observations is also discussed.
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ISBN-13
978-3-642-75701-3 (9783642757013)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-642-75701-3
Schweitzer Klassifikation
1 Introductory Remarks.- 2 Plasticity in the Peripheral Somatosensory Nervous System.- 2.1 Aspects of Plasticity in the Peripheral Nervous System.- 2.2 Survival and Loss of Sensory Neurons After Lesions of the Peripheral Nervous System.- 2.3 Collateral Sprouting of Primary Afferent Fibres in the Periphery.- 2.4 Regeneration of Somatic Sensory Afferent Fibres.- 2.5 Modality Specificity of Somatosensory Nerve Regeneration.- 2.6 Major Conclusions.- 3 Plasticity and the Mystacial Vibrissae of Rodents.- 3.1 General Account of Pathway.- 3.2 Normal Development of the Vibrissae and Their Neural Connections to the Cerebral Cortex.- 3.3 Effects of Lesions and Manipulations in Prenatal, Neonatal and Developing Animals.- 3.4 Plasticity in the Vibrissa System of Adult Animals.- 3.5 Major Conclusions.- 4 Plasticity and the Spinal Dorsal Horn (with Notes on Homologous Regions of the Trigeminal Nuclei).- 4.1 Experimental Strategies for Demonstration of Plasticity in the Dorsal Horn of the Spinal Cord and Trigeminal Nuclei.- 4.2 Overview of Dorsal Horn Organization.- 4.3 Somatotopic Organization of the Dorsal Horn.- 4.4 Effect of Lesions on Somatotopic Organization.- 4.5 Mechanisms Underlying the Somatotopic Reorganization of Dorsal Horn Neurons.- 4.6 Plasticity of the Developing Dorsal Hor.- 4.7 Major Conclusions.- 5 Plasticity and the Dorsal Column Nuclei.- 5.1 Advantages of the Dorsal Column Nuclei for Studies of Plasticity.- 5.2 Organization of the Dorsal Column Nuclei.- 5.3 Alterations of Inputs to the Nuclei.- 5.4 Evidence for Ineffective Afferent Connections.- 5.5 Recovery from Sensorimotor Deficits Following Dorsal Column Lesions.- 5.6 Plasticity of the DCN During Development.- 5.7 Major Conclusions.- 6 Plasticity and the Somatosensory Thalamus.- 6.1 Experimental Strategies andPlasticity in the Ventral Posterior Nuclei of the Thalamus.- 6.2 Anatomical Organization of Inputs and Outputs of the Ventral Posterior Nuclei.- 6.3 Responses of Neurons to Cutaneous Stimulation and the Effects of Anaesthetics and Other Drugs.- 6.4 Somatotopic Organization of the VPL and VPM.- 6.5 Effects of Alteration of Input on Somatotopic Organization.- 6.6 Major Conclusions.- 7 Plasticity and the Somatosensory Cerebral Cortex.- 7.1 Experimental Strategies and Cortical Plasticity..- 7.2 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Primates.- 7.3 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Cats.- 7.4 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Infant Raccoons.- 7.5 Plasticity in the Cortex of Adult and Developing Rodents.- 7.6 Major Conclusions.- 8 Concluding Remarks.- 8.1 Plasticity During Development.- 8.2 Evaluation of Experimentally Induced Plasticity in Adult Animals.- 8.3 The Case for Ineffective Connections.- 8.4 Spatial Extent of Immediate and Long-Term Changes in Somatotopic Organization.- 8.5 Normal Physiological Mechanisms and Plasticity.- 8.6 Role of Plasticity in the Mature Somatosensory System.- References.
