title: Tactile discrimination learning in the monkey: the effects of unilateral or bilateral removals of the second somatosensory cortex (area SII).
abstract: The tactile impairment in monkeys with unilateral removals of area SII is seen as possibly analogous to the rare condition of tactile agnosia. The lesions in a new series of animals with SII removals are described. The performance of 3 groups of monkeys is compared: no group differences were obtained on visual tasks (except retrieval of a moving target); minimal if any differences were obtained on inter-manual transfer of tactile learning; significant differences were found between animals with unilateral or bilateral removals of SII relative to unoperated animals at re-learning tactile discrimination tasks, irrespective of the hand being used. These findings suggest that area SII projects to a further neural system involved in somatosensory performance; and that a unilateral removal has its effect through the functional disruption of the intact SII.
mesh_terms: D000377:Agnosia / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology