Intrinsic signal optical imaging in the forepaw area of rat somatosensory cortex.

The responses of somatosensory cortex (S-I) to tactile stimulation of the forepaw were assessed by intrinsic signal optical imaging. The tips of digits two or five were alternately touched with mechanical tappers while video photographs were taken of S-I illuminated by an 800-nm light source. The resulting images showed two highlighted areas about 300 microns in diameter and 500 microns apart. Generation of these images required less than 1 hr. Electrode penetrations placed in the areas highlighted during stimulation provided multiunit recordings with receptive fields appropriate for the stimulated digit and not the other digit. Penetrations between the high-lighted areas yielded receptive fields on intervening digits. These results demonstrate that intrinsic signal optical images are obtainable in S-I and confirm the functional somatotopy previously reported using electrical recording. Furthermore, the short time required to produce the images and the obtainable spatial resolution suggest that optical recording could be employed for the study of cortical reorganization in this brain region.