Summary
We compared set-related premotor cortex activity in two conditional motor tasks. In both tasks, a rhesus monkey moved its forelimb to one of two possible targets on the basis of visuospatial instruction stimuli. One target was located to the left of the limb's starting position, the other to the right. In the directional task, a white light situated within the target provided the instruction. In the arbitrary task, colored instruction stimuli equidistant from the targets established an arbitrary relationship between stimulus and response. One hypothesis about setrelated premotor cortex activity is that it contributes to the preparation for limb movement on the basis of sensory instruction stimuli. If set-related activity differed profoundly in the arbitrary and directional tasks, then that hypothesis would be untenable. Out of 403 task-related premotor cortex neurons in two monkeys, 130 neurons showed set-related activity, and we studied 118 cells in detail. The vast majority (81%) of these 118 neurons showed no significant difference between the two tasks in set-related activity. When set-related activity did differ, the greatest activity usually occurred after arbitrary instructions; the opposite being the case for only 5% of our sample. Differences in activity during the two tasks, even when statistically significant, were generally small. The present results accord with the hypothesis that set-related premotor cortex activity reflects aspects of motor preparation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arrington KF (1986) An off-line analysis program for neurophysiological data, KOFF. Soc Neurosci Abstr 12: 348
Bonnet M (1983) Anticipatory changes of long-latency stretch responses during preparation for directional hand movements. Brain Res 280: 51–62
Bonnet M, Requin J (1982) Long loop and spinal reflexes in man during preparation for intended directional hand movements. J Neurosci 2: 90–96
Brinkman J, Porter R (1983) Supplementary motor area and premotor area of the monkey cerebral cortex: functional organization and activities of single neurons during performance of a learned movement. Adv Neurol 39: 393–420
Evarts EV, Shinoda Y, Wise SP (1984) Neurophysiological approaches to higher brain functions. Wiley-Interscience, New York
Favilla M, Hening W, Ghez C (1985) Human tracking performance: parallel specification of amplitude and direction. Soc Neurosci Abstr 11: 72
Freund H-J, Hummelsheim H (1985) Lesions of premotor cortex in man. Brain 108: 697–733
Gentilucci M, Scandolara C, Pigarev IN, Rizzolatti G (1983) Visual responses in the postarcuate cortex (area 6) of the monkey that are independent of eye position. Exp Brain Res 50: 464–468
Godschalk M, Lemon RN (1983) Involvement of monkey premotor cortex in the preparation of arm movements. Exp Brain Res Suppl 7: 114–119
Godschalk M, Lemon RN, Kuypers HGJM, van der Steen J (1985) The involvement of monkey premotor cortex neurones in preparation of visually cued arm movements. Behav Brain Res 18: 143–157
Godschalk M, Lemon RN, Nijs HGT, Kuypers HGJM (1981) Behavior of neurons in monkey peri-arcuate and precentral cortex before and during visually guided arm and hand movements. Exp Brain Res 44: 113–116
Goldberg G (1985) Supplementary motor area structure and function: review and hypotheses. Behav Brain Sci 8: 567–616
Goldman PS, Rosvold HE (1970) Localization of function within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the rhesus monkey. Exp Neurol 27: 291–304
Goldman PS, Rosvold HE, Vest B, Galkin TW (1971) Analysis of the delayed-alternation deficit produced by dorsolateral prefrontal lesions in the rhesus monkey. J Comp Physiol Psychol 77: 212–220
Halsband U, Passingham RE (1982) The role of premotor and parietal cortex in the direction of action. Brain Res 240: 368–372
Halsband U, Passingham RE (1985) Premotor cortex and the conditions for movement in monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Behav Brain Res 18: 269–277
Humphrey DR (1979) On the cortical control of visually directed reaching: contributions by nonprecentral motor areas. In: Talbot RE, Humphrey DR (eds) Posture and movement. Raven Press, New York, pp 51–112
Kubota K, Hamada I (1978) Visual tracking and neuron activity in the postarcuate area in monkeys. J Physiol (Paris) 74: 297–312
Kubota K, Hamada I (1979) Preparatory activity of monkey pyramidal tract neurons related to quick movement onset during visual tracking performance. Brain Res 168: 435–439
Kurata K, Tanji J (1986) Premotor cortex neurons in macaques: activity before distal and proximal forelimb movements. J Neurosci 6: 403–411
Lecas JC, Requin J, Anger C, Vitton N (1986) Changes in neuronal activity of the monkey: precentral cortex during preparation for movement. J Neurophysiol 56: 1680–1702
Matelli M, Camarda R, Glickstein M, Rizzolatti G (1986) Afferent and efferent projections of the inferior area 6 in the macaque monkey. J Comp Neurol 251: 281–298
Matelli M, Luppino G, Rizzolatti G (1985) Patterns of cytochrome oxidase activity in the frontal agranular cortex of the macaque monkey. Behav Brain Res 18: 125–136
Mauritz K-H, Wise SP (1986) Premotor cortex of the rhesus monkey: neuronal activity in anticipation of predictable environmental events. Exp Brain Res 61: 229–244
Moll L, Kuypers HGJM (1977) Premotor cortical ablations in monkeys: contralateral changes in visually guided reaching behavior. Science 198: 317–319
Muakkassa KF, Strick PL (1979) Frontal lobe inputs to primate motor cortex: evidence for four somatotopically organized ‘premotor’ areas. Brain Res 177: 176–182
Passingham RE (1985) Premotor cortex: sensory cues and movement. Behav Brain Res 18: 175–185
Passingham RE (1986) Cues for movement in monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with lesions in premotor cortex. Behav Neurosci 100: 695–703
Petrides M (1982) Motor conditional associative-learning after selective prefrontal lesions in the monkey. Behav Brain Res 5: 407–413
Petrides M (1985a) Deficits in non-spatial conditional associative learning after periarcuate lesions in the monkey. Behav Brain Res 16: 95–101
Petrides M (1985b) Deficits on conditional associative-learning tasks after frontal- and temporal-lobe lesions in man. Neuropsychologia 23: 601–614
Petrides M (1985c) The effect of selective lesions to the periarcuate cortex on the performance of two nonspatial conditional tasks. Soc Neurosci Abstr 11: 460
Petrides M (1986) The effect of periarcuate lesions in the monkey on the performance of symmetrically and asymmetrically reinforced visual and auditory go, no-go tasks. J Neurosci 6: 2054–2063
Riehle A (1986) Changes in neuronal activity of motor cortical areas associated with the coding of spatial parameters of the movement: preliminary results. In: Ellen P, Thinus-Blanc C (eds) Cognitive processes and spatial orientation in animal and man. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Riehle A, Requin J (1985) Neuronal activity changes related to the advance information about biomechanical parameters of an intended movement. Soc Neurosci Abstr 11: 705
Rizzolatti G, Scandolara C, Matelli M, Gentilucci M (1981a) Afferent properties of periarcuate neurons in macaque monkeys. 1. Somatosensory responses. Behav Brain Res 2: 125–146
Rizzolatti G, Scandolara C, Matelli M, Gentilucci M (1981b) Afferent properties of periarcuate neurons in macaque monkeys. 2. Visual responses. Behav Brain Res 2: 147–163
Sessle BJ, Wiesendanger M (1982) Structural and functional definition of the motor cortex in the monkey (Macaca fascicularis). J Physiol (Lond) 323: 245–265
Vaadia E, Benson DA, Heinz RD, Goldstein MH (1986) Unit study of monkey prefrontal cortex: active localization of auditory and of visual stimuli. J Neurophysiol 56: 934–952
Weinrich M, Wise SP (1982) The premotor cortex of the monkey. J Neurosci 2: 1329–1345
Weinrich M, Wise SP, Mauritz K-H (1984) A neurophysiological analysis of the premotor cortex of the monkey. Brain 107: 385–414
Wiesendanger M (1981) Organization of secondary motor areas of cerebral cortex. In: Brooks VB (ed) Handbook of physiology, Sect I. The nervous system Vol II, Part I. American Physiol Society, Bethesda, pp 1121–1147
Wiesendanger M, Hummelsheim H, Bianchetti M (1985) Sensory input to the motor fields of the agranular frontal cortex: a comparison of the precentral, supplementary motor and premotor cortex. Behav Brain Res 18: 89–94
Wise SP (1984) Nonprimary motor cortex and its role in the cerebral control of movement. In: Edelman G, Cowan WM, Gall E (eds) Dynamic aspects of neocortical function. Wiley, New York, pp 525–555
Wise SP (1985a) The primate premotor cortex: past, present, and preparatory. Ann Rev Neurosci 8: 1–19
Wise SP (1985b) The primate premotor cortex fifty years after Fulton. Behav Brain Res 18: 79–88
Wise SP, Mauritz K-H (1985) Set-related neuronal activity in the premotor cortex of rhesus monkeys: effects of changes in motor set. Proc R Soc Lond B 223: 331–354
Wise SP, Weinrich M, Mauritz K-H (1983) Motor aspects of cuerelated neuronal activity in premotor cortex of the rhesus monkey. Brain Res 260: 301–305
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kurata, K., Wise, S.P. Premotor cortex of rhesus monkeys: set-related activity during two conditional motor tasks. Exp Brain Res 69, 327–343 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247578
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00247578