Developmental changes in sensory processing and state-dependent activity in sensorimotor and prefrontal cortex of infant rats

The developing brain is shaped by experience. Sensory input is perhaps the most important form of experience, as it enables the developing brain to learn about the body it inhabits, adapt to bodily changes, and enable navigation in the world. As infant rats and other mammals spend the majority of their time asleep, much of the sensory input accrued in early development arrives during sleep. Sleep, especially active (or REM) sleep, is a state of heightened brain activity, including the production of brief, jerky movements of the limbs and whiskers. In this way, active sleep provides sensory stimulation to the developing sensorimotor system. In this dissertation, using infant rats, I show how both sensory input and sleep influence activity in sensory and motor cortex, as well as activity in higher-order prefrontal areas that are not conventionally associated with somatosensory processing. Thus, this research provides important context for understanding how infant brains develop the capacity to make sense of the world. More broadly, my research provides insight into the factors that influence typical and atypical brain development.