Early substitution of whiskerpad by dorsal skin, cornea and palm of forepaw thoroughly modifies structure of barrelfield in mice.

The whiskerpads of embryonic and newborn mice were replaced by transplants taken from siblings, and consisting of dorsal skin, corneal tissue or volar skin from the forepaw. These substitutions led to abnormalities in the architecture of the corresponding cortical barrelfields. The results suggest that the pattern of receptors in the periphery may have an important influence on the maturation of the cytoarchitectonic organization of the cortex.