Study of some functional relationships between the primary and secondary somesthetic cortical area
Caminiti, R.; Manzoni, T.; Spidalieri, G.
Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 51(18): 1196-1202
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-8771 PMID: 1220736 Document Number: 93638
Stimulation of primary (SI) and secondary (SII) cortical somesthetic areas of a cerebral hemisphere promotes the activation of neurons of the homonymous bilateral peripheral receptor. Chloralosed and curarized cats equipped with cortical microelectrodes were studied. Neurons of area SI that project to area SII interacted with the peripheral receptor field (PRF). No activity was observed in the case of neurons with PRF limited to the contralateral half of the body surface. Such association fibers are probably principally of the lemniscal type. A functional organization is outlined according to which, as a result of contralateral anterior stimulation, a flow of information arrives at area SII directly by the classical thalamocortical route and indirectly via corticocortical association neurons of SI.