Changes in sensitivity of cholinoceptors and adrenoceptors during transhemispheric cortical reorganisation in rat SmI

The reorganisation of primary somatosensory cortex that occurs after lesioning the corresponding cortex of the contralateral hemisphere in rat has been termed, ‘transhemispheric cortical reorganisation’. Cholinergic and noradrenergic innervations are hypothesized to be involved in cortical plasticity. The present study investigated the change in responses of somatosensory neurones in the hindpaw representation area to muscarinic cholinoceptor and β-adrenoceptor receptor stimulation, by iontophoretic application of acetylcholine, noradrenaline, propranolol and atropine, during the process of transhemispheric cortical reorganization at 3–4 days and at 20–21 days after lesioning the corresponding area in the contralateral hemisphere. Most neurones in control rats showed excitatory atropine-sensitive responses to acetylcholine, and inhibitory propranolol-sensitive responses to noradrenaline. A marked reduction in neurones exhibiting muscarinic responses (from 69% to 22%) and β-noradrenoceptor-mediated responses (from 62% to 24%) were seen in rats 3–4 days post lesion. The proportion of neurones responding had recovered by 3 weeks but the direction of the responses had changed with muscarinic response becoming predominantly inhibitory and β-noradrenoceptor responses predominantly excitatory. It is concluded that transhemispheric cortical reorganization involves both receptor types and that the reciprocal changes at different stages after injury maintain cortical plasticity.