Cross-Modality Experiments on the Cat Brain

Abstract

In Chap. 1, EPs and amplitude-frequency characteristics from various cortical and subcortical structures of the cat brain were described. For some of these structures, in particular the primary sensory areas, the stimuli may be adequate or inadequate; e.g., a visual stimulus is adequate for the visual cortex, but inadequate for the auditory cortex. It is noteworthy that even inadequate stimuli do evoke changes of the EEG in the respective structure (although responses to adequate stimulation are usually higher in amplitude). These types of changes already described by John et al. (1989) and Galambos (1989) are important for an understanding of integrative functions of the brain. In the present chapter we will analyze cross-modality responses in the cat brain with the strategies of the combined analysis procedure. We will start with a section describing the view of Hartline about the concept of cross-modality.