Figure 4. Forepaw representations obtained prior to and after the lesion induction.

Examples of electrophysiological maps obtained in a rat which was not subjected to tactile stimulation (NT) and in rats subjected to tactile stimulation from the 3^rd to the 8^th days (early stimulation; ET) or from the 8^th to the 13^th days (delayed stimulation; DT) after the lesion induction, while cortical remapping was performed on the 9^th or 14^th days, respectively. The postlesion map in the NT rat was obtained on the 9^th day postlesion (NT1). For the sake of legibility, no map is shown for NT2 rats in which remapping was performed on the 14^th day postlesion, as NT1 and NT2 maps were very similar. The injured areas functionally defined on the basis of neuronal recordings are outlined on the pre-lesion maps (dashed lines). The cortical sectors electrophysiologically silent (black area) or displaying decreased spontaneous activity with no elicited response (light grey area) are illustrated on the post-lesion maps. Note that the best preservation of cutaneous representational zones was recorded in the ET rat, whereas the most degraded map was found in the NT rat.