Metabolic activity in SmI cortical barrels of adult rats is dependent on patterned sensory stimulation of the mystacial vibrissae.

Cytochrome oxidase (CO) histochemistry was used to examine the effect of sensory deprivation on metabolic activity in the somatosensory cortex (SmI) of adult rats. Chronic trimming of one or several rows of mystacial vibrissae resulted in a decrease in CO reactivity in the corresponding barrels in layer IV. Reduced CO staining also was observed in cortical laminae superficial and deep to the affected layer IV barrels, suggesting that patterned deflections of the whiskers are important for maintaining the metabolic activity of neurons at least 3 and perhaps 4 synapses removed from the periphery.