Sensory response enhancement and suppression of monkey primary somatosensory cortical neurons.
Vibratory stimulus-related responses were recorded from monkey primary somatosensory cortical (SI) neurons while animals performed two tasks. In the movement task, vibratory stimuli served as the go-cue for wrist flexion or extension. In the no-movement task, movements normally made in response to vibratory stimuli were extinguished. Area 3a, 3b, and 1 neurons with deep receptive fields (RFs) exhibited greater stimulus-related activity during the movement task than during the no-movement task. Area 3b neurons with cutaneous RFs were similarly enhanced during the movement task, whereas area 1 neurons with cutaneous RFs were less responsive to vibratory stimuli during the movement task. These results suggest that motor-set and/or selective attention may modulate the responsiveness of SI neurons to peripheral stimuli and that changes in sensory responsiveness in SI neurons differ as a function of their cortical location and RF type.
Nelson
R J
RJ
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163.
Li
B
B
Douglas
V D
VD
D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D009068:Movement; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014732:Vibration