Constraints on somatosensory map development: mutants lead the way.

Constraints on somatosensory map development: mutants lead the way.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2018 May 09;53:43-49
Authors: Gaspar P, Renier N
Abstract
In the rodent somatosensory system, the disproportionally large whisker representation and their specialization into barrel-shaped units in the different sensory relays has offered experimentalists with an ideal tool to identify mechanisms involved in brain map formation. These combine three intertwined constraints: Firstly, fasciculation of the incoming axons; secondly, early neural activity; finally, molecular patterning. Sophisticated genetic manipulations in mice have now allowed dissecting these mechanisms with greater accuracy. Here we discuss some recent papers that provided novel insights into how these different mapping rules and constraints interact to shape the barrel map.
PMID: 29753205 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - May 9, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Gaspar P, Renier N Tags: Curr Opin Neurobiol Source Type: research