Figure 2.

Comparison of cortical somatosensory representation in mice and humans. Distorted representation of body areas in the mouse (A) and human (B) primary somatosensory cortex (S1). In both species, S1 somatosensory maps reflect the extent of cortical areas devoted to the processing of sensory information from different parts of the body. In mice, the altered proportions of the head and whisker pad with respect to other body regions mirrors the extent of innervation from these areas. Similarly, in humans, the cortical somatosensory representation is enlarged for those regions, such as the hands and the lips, that are densely innervated by sensory fibers. Conversely, the structure of supragranular layers 2 and 3 markedly differs between the mouse (A) and human (B) somatosensory cortex. See text for references.