Abstract
Activity of 112 neurons of the precruciate motor cortex in cats was studied during a forelimb placing reaction to tactile stimulation of its distal parts. The latent period of response of the limb to tactile stimulation was: for flexors of the elbow (biceps brachii) 30–40 msec, for the earliest reponses of cortical motor neurons about 20 msec. The biceps response was observed 5–10 msec after the end of stimulation of the cortex with a series of pulses lasting 25 msec. Two types of excitatory responses of the neurons were identified: responses of sensory type observed to each tactile stimulation of the limb and independent of the presence or absence of motion, and responses of motor type, which developed parallel with the motor response of the limb and were not observed in the absence of motion. The minimal latent period of the responses of motor type was equal to the latent period of the sensory responses to tactile stimulation (20±10 msec). Stimulation of the cortex through the recording microelectrode at the site of derivation of unit activity, which increased during active flexion of the forelimb at the elbow (11 stimuli at intervals of 2.5 msec, current not exceeding 25 μA), in 70% of cases evoked an electrical response in the flexor muscle of the elbow.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
D. Albe-Fessard, “The motor cortex as a reflex center,” in: The Sensory Organization of Movement [Russian translation], Nauka, Leningrad (1975), pp. 13–22.
B. I. Kotlyar, V. I. Maiorov, and E. I. Savchenko, “Models of learning based on plastic properties of the response to the support in cats,” Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat.,25, 967 (1975).
E. I. Savchenko, V. I. Maiorov, and B. I. Kotlyar, “Unit activity in the cat motor cortex during performance of a conditioned forelimb placing response,” Zh. Vyssh. Nerv. Deyat.,26, 65 (1976).
V. E. Amassian, H. W. Weiner, and M. Rosenblum, “Neural systems subserving the tactile placing reaction: a model for the study of higher level control of movement,” Brain Res.,40, 171 (1972).
H. Asanuma and I. Rosen, “Spread of mono- and polysynaptic connections within cat's motor cortex,” Exp. Brain Res.,16, 507 (1973).
H. Asanuma, S. D. Stoney, and C. Abzug, “Relationship between afferent input and motor outflow in cat motor-sensory cortex,” J. Neuophysiol.,31, 670 (1968).
P. Bard, “Studies on the cerebral cortex. I. Localized control of hopping reactions in the cat and their normal management by small cortical remnants,” Arch. Neurol. Psychiat.,30, 40 (1933).
E. V. Evarts, “Relation of pyramidal tract activity to force exerted during voluntary movement,” J. Neurophysiol.,31, 14 (1968).
E. V. Evarts, “Contrasts between activity of precentral and postcentral neurons of cerebral cortex during movement in the monkey,” Brain Res.,40, 25 (1972).
E. V. Evarts and J. Tanji, “Gating of motor cortex reflexes by prior instruction,” Brain Res.,71, 479 (1974).
D. R. Humphrey, “Relating motor cortex spike trains to measures of motor performance, Brain Res.,40, 7 (1972).
S. D. Stoney, W. D. Thompson, and H. Asanuma, “Excitation of pyramidal tract cells by intracortical microstimulation: effective extent of stimulating current,” J. Neurophysiol.,31, 659 (1968).
K. Takahashi, K. Kubota, and M. Uno, “Recurrent facilitation in cat pyramidal tract cells,” J. Neurophysiol.,30, 22 (1967).
W. D. Thompson, S. D. Stoney, and H. Asanuma, “Characteristics of projections from primary sensory cortex to motor-sensory cortex in cats,” Brain Res.,22, 15 (1970).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 115–123, March–April, 1977.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maiorov, V.I., Savchenko, E.I. & Kotlyar, B.I. Transformation of the afferent tactile signal into a motor command in the cat motor cortex. Neurosci Behav Physiol 10, 374–381 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01184053
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01184053