An examination of the intramodal and intermodal behavioral consequences of long-term vibrissae removal in rats.

An assessment was made of the effects of long-term tactile restriction by bilateral removal of the mystacial vibrissae from an early age on the subsequent somatosensory capacities of rats (i.e., the intramodal consequences) as well as its effects on visual and spatial capacities (i.e., the intermodal consequences). Rearing environment (enriched vs. normal) and method of vibrissae removal (cauterization of follicles vs. plucking) were examined to determine specific factors that m might influence the effect of vibrissae removal. Early, long-term tactile restriction had significant intramodal and intermodal consequences. Dewhiskered rats showed attenuated orientation to tactile stimuli presented to their mystacial pads and enriched-reared rats whose vibrissae follicles had been cauterized showed increased orientation to visual stimuli. Manipulation of early somatosensory signals had no impact on the development of certain spatial and precise manipulatory skills. These data provide limited evidence for theories of modality interdependence and yield basic information concerning the role of the mystacial vibrissae in the behavior of the rat.