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Developmental changes in the laminar termination of a fibre cutaneous sensory afferents in the rat spinal cord dorsal horn
Author(s) -
Fitzgerald M.,
Butcher T.,
Shortland P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.903480205
Subject(s) - spinal cord , anatomy , horseradish peroxidase , sensory system , biology , dorsum , laminar organization , french horn , neuroscience , afferent , lamina , psychology , pedagogy , biochemistry , enzyme
In order to establish the specificity of growth and termination of dorsal root afferents within the developing spinal cord, the central dorsal horn terminals of myelinated sensory afferents were labelled at various stages in the rat from embryonic day (E)18 through to postnatal day (P) 35 using horseradish peroxidase conjugated to choleragenoid (B‐HRP), The preferential labelling of A fibre afferents with this tracer was found to be as clear in the neonate as has been reported for the adult. The results show that while the somatotopic arrangement of A fibre afferent terminals in the dorsal horn is established early in development, the laminar projections are not. Following peripheral nerve or local skin injections of B‐HRP, A fibre terminals were found to project throughout laminae I to V, including laminae II (substantia gelatinosa). This widespread termination was observed consistently until the end of the third postnatal week. After P22 the terminal field becomes restricted to the normal laminae III to V. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.