Partial blocking of NMDA receptors restricts plastic changes in adult mouse barrel cortex.

Changes of cortical body maps can be evoked in brains of adult animals by injury to sensory nerves. We investigated changes of functional representation of row C of mystacial vibrissae in the barrel cortex of mice. Plastic changes of cortical representations were mapped with 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography. Seven days after lesions of all vibrissae except row C, cortical representation of the spared row increased in width by 60%. Partial blocking of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by subdural implants of thin sheets of Elvax impregnated with DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) prevented development of the increase of row C representation. Low level of NMDA receptor blocking did not affect significantly the basal level of 2DG uptake and stimulus evoked uptake but prevented the plastic change of the body map.