Functional Organization of Rat and Mouse Motor Cortex

Here we review both modern and emerging approaches that have lead researchers to make inferences about the functional organization of the rat and mouse motor cortex. We primarily focus on the use of cortical lesions and intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in rats and mice because rats are the species that have undergone the most experimentation in recent decades and mice because they are highly amendable to a variety of genetic manipulations. We discuss the basic methodological approach and a series of electrical stimulation parameters that affect the derivation of the motor map.