Interactions among convergent inputs to somatosensory cortex neurons.
Postsynaptic potentials (psps) produced by electrical stimulation of 4 forelimb nerves were recorded intracellularly from neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex of sodium pentobarbital anesthetized cats. Convergent inputs were found from nerves subserving different modalities and different regions of the forelimb. Psps from separate afferent sources usually did not sum linearly but rather interacted with one another. These interactions could have occurred at the cortical level or earlier in the ascending pathways and are interpreted with regards to the control of somatosensory responsiveness by multiple converging inputs.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005552:Forelimb / Q000294:innervation; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000502:physiology*; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*