Operant control of precentral neurons: control of modal interspike intervals.
The objects of these experiments were: (a) to determine modal interspike intervals (ISIs) of precentral cells involved in repetitious, gross motor movements; (b) to compare those modal ISIs to the modal ISIs of similar neurons under operant control; and (c) to determine if monkeys could change the modal ISIs of operantly controlled precentral neurons. Data were obtained from 4 monkeys conditioned to produce tonic firing of precentral neurons and one monkey trained to produce repetitious movements of the neck and contralateral limbs. Results are: (a) the modal ISIs from operantly controlled precentral units do not differ significantly from precentral neurons involved in repetitive gross motor movements; and (b) while under operant control, the monkeys cannot modify significantly the modal ISI of the majority of precentral neurons.
D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology