Differences in somatosensory processing in S1 barrel cortex between normaland monoamine oxidase A knockout (Tg8) adult mice

Spatio-temporal processing of whisker information was analysed in vivo for single neurons in D2 barrel columns of SI cortex in Tg8 mutant mice, which lack barrels. Findings were compared with normal C3H mice of the same genet ic background. The topographical organization of functional columns was sim ilar in Tg8 and normal mice. Response magnitudes (RMs) to D2 principal whis ker deflections in D2 columns for Tgs were similar to normals for layers I- III and layer IV cells but short latency responses (>10 ms post-stimulus) w ere twice the magnitude of normal mice. The surrounding whiskers D1 and D3 yielded smaller RMs in layer IV of mutants than normal mice whereas RMs in layers I-III were equipotent (P > 0.5). Modal latencies were shorter in Tg8 mice in all layers. Latency distributions for whisker D2 responses in both laminae were bimodal in normal mice, peaking at 6-8 and 12 ms post-stimulu s, but unimodal in Tg8 mice in both laminae, peaking at 6-8 ms. Hence, desp ite an absence of barrels, segregation of columns is enhanced in layer IV a nd sensory processing is faster in layers I-IV compared with normal mice. T his contrasts with adenylyl cyclase knockout mice where both an absence of barrels and enhanced surrounding whisker responses have been observed. Thes e findings suggest that factors other than barrels and clustering of thalam o-cortical terminals define receptive field geometry.