Response activity of different areas of the associative region of the cerebral cortex in the cat

In cats the greatest stability in relation to the blocking influence due to the conditioning stimulation characterized the ar which appeared in response to skin stimulation in the orbitofrontal cortex and the arWhich appeared in the suprasylvian gyrus on exposure to a light flash.

Abstract

In cats we have simultaneously (monopolarly) recorded the responses in different parts of the associative cortex (ac) (motor cortex, proreal, orbital, anterior marginal, and mid-part of the suprasylvian gyri) appearing for different peripheral stimulations (stimulation of the skin of the forelimbs, a light flash and a sound click). In all the regions of the ac associative responses (ar) almost identical in configuration appeared to all the peripheral stimulations. The ar of the orbitofrontal and the motor cortex differed from the ar of the suprasylvian gyrus in the shorter latent period and greater stability. In each part of the ac we found the same focus of maximum activity for all the peripheral stimulations. For paired stimulations of the same and different modalities the greatest stability in relation to the blocking influence due to the conditioning stimulation characterized the ar which appeared in response to skin stimulation in the orbitofrontal cortex and the ar which appeared in the suprasylvian gyrus on exposure to a light flash. It is assumed that in the orbitofrontal cortex an efferent discharge is formed in response to pulses of different sensory modality whereas in the suprasylvian gyrus there is only sensory integration. Some aspects of afferent convergence are discussed.