Somatotopic organization in the sensory innervation of the rat hindlimb during development, using half dorsal root ganglia as subsegmental units.

The aim of the present study was to determine the somatotopy of the sensory innervation of the rat hindlimb at the level of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) during the fetal and postnatal period. Injections of wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) were made into the hindlimb of fetal and postnatal rats. These injections result in completely and partially labeled DRGs. Partial labeling always concerns the rostral or caudal half of a DRG. Using half DRGs as subsegmental units, a description is given of a somatotopic organization of the sensory innervation of the rat hindlimb during development.