Lasting facilitatory effects of neonatal vibrissae removal on the propagation of cortical spreading depression: an electrophysiological study in well-nourished and early-malnourished adult rats.

Early malnutrition interferes with the formation of somatosensory pathways and reduced sensory input activity during brain development can induce morphological and physiological changes in the cerebral cortex, altering their response properties in the long-term. Here, we investigated cortical spreading depression (CSD) propagation in male adult rats submitted to unilateral vibrissae removal, at postnatal days 2-3, and malnourished during lactation followed by nutritional recovery until adulthood (90-120 days), when CSD was recorded. Compared to nutrition-matched non-lesioned controls, CSD-propagation was increased in the hemisphere contralateral to the vibrissae removal. The findings indicate that vibrissae removal during brain development enhances CSD-propagation, and early malnutrition did not modify this effect. Considering that CSD-facilitation persisted until adulthood, we suggest that this effect is permanent. The data might contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms by which sensory input deprivation-induced plasticity modifies cerebral electrophysiological responses in the developing brain.