Sensory cortex limits cortical maps and drives top-down plasticity in thalamocortical circuits

Primary somatosensory cortex (S1) contains a map of the body that mirrors maps in hindbrain and thalamus. During development, peripheral changes alter the map in S1. Here the authors use a mouse mutation that alters S1 size and leads to plasticity in the S1 map that is transferred to the thalamic map.