Plasticity in the Somatosensory System of Developing and Mature Mammals The Ef [Paperback]

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.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 Nul“=