Skip to main content
Log in

Neurons of area 7 activated by both visual stimuli and oculomotor behavior

  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Behavioral and clinical studies have long implicated the posterior parietal cortex of primates in spatial perception and spatially oriented behavior. However, recordings from single neurons in behaving monkeys by different laboratories have resulted in divergent views with some ascribing a largely motor and others a largely sensory role for this region. We have designed paradigms to separate the sensory and motor components of the neural activity and have found that the cells in this area respond to both sensory stimulation and motor behavior. Thus, it is likely that this area is not solely sensory or motor, but rather is involved in higher order aspects of sensory-motor integration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen RA, Mountcastle VB (1983) The influence of the angle of gaze upon the excitability of the light-sensitive neurons of the posterior parietal cortex. J Neurosci 3: 532–548

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen RA, Asanuma C, Cowan WM (1985a) Callosal and prefrontal association projecting cell populations in area 7a of the macaque monkey: a study using retrogradely transported fluorescent dyes. J Comp Neurol 232: 443–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen RA, Essick GK, Siegel RM (1985b) Encoding of spatial location by posterior parietal neurons. Science 230: 456–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyvärinen J, Poranen A (1974) Function of the posterior associative area 7 as revealed from cellular discharge in alert monkeys. Brain 97: 673–692

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch JC, Mountcastle VB, Talbot WH, Yin TCT (1977) Parietal lobe mechanisms for directed visual attention. J Neurophysiol 40: 362–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Motter BC, Mountcastle VB (1981) The functional properties of the light sensitive neurons of the posterior parietal cortex studied in waking monkeys: foveal sparing and opponent vector organization. J Neurosci 1: 3–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Mountcastle VB, Lynch JC, Geogopoulos A, Sakata H (1975) Posterior parietal association cortex of the monkey: command function for operations within extrapersonal space. J Neurophysiol 38: 871–907

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson DL, Goldberg ME, Stanton GB (1978) Parietal association cortex in the primate: sensory mechanisms and behavioral modulations. J Neurophysiol 41: 910–932

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakata H, Shibutani H, Kawano K (1980) Spatial properties of visual fixation neurons in posterior parietal association cortex of the monkey. J Neurophysiol 43: 1654–1672

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakata H, Shibutani H, Kawano K (1983) Functional properties of visual tracking neurons in posterior parietal association cortex of the monkey. J Neurophysiol 49: 1364–1380

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Andersen, R.A., Essick, G.K. & Siegel, R.M. Neurons of area 7 activated by both visual stimuli and oculomotor behavior. Exp Brain Res 67, 316–322 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248552

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248552

Key words

Navigation