Summary
In the primate postcentral gyrus, the cytoarchitectonic characteristics gradually shift from those of koniocortex to more homotypical parakoniocortex along its rostrocaudal axis. To find the physiological correlates of these changes we examined a large body of data accumulated during a series of our experiments with alert monkeys. Along the rostrocaudal axis of the postcentral gyrus, we found a gradual and continuous increase in the number of neurons with converging receptive fields and those in which receptive field positions or submodalities were not determined. Deep or skin submodality neurons were dominant in area 3a or 3b respectively. The proportion of skin submodality neurons decreased gradually from area 3b to the more caudal part of the gyrus. The proportion of deep submodality neurons was almost constant from area 3b to area 2 inclusive; they were not the majority in area 2. The data are consistent with the hierarchical scheme, i.e., within the postcentral gyrus sensory information is processed from the primary sensory receiving stage to the more associative, integrative stages.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bonin G von, Bailey P (1947) The neocortex of Macaca mulatta. University of Illinois Press, Urbana
Brodmann K (1909) Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Grosshirnrinde in ihren Prinzipien dargestellt auf Grund des Zellenbaues. Barth, Leipzig
Campbell F (1905) Histological studies on the localization of cerebral function. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Darian-Smith I, Goodwin A, Sugitani M, Heywood J (1984) The tangible features of textured surfaces: their representation in the monkey's somatosensory cortex. In: Edelman GM, Gall WE, Cowan WM (eds) Dynamic aspects of neocortical function. Wiley, New York, pp 475–500
Economo C von, Koskinas G (1925) Die Cytoarchitektonik der Hirnrinde des erwachsenen Menschen. Springer, Berlin
Evarts EV (1986) A technique for recording activity of subcortical neurons in moving animals. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 24:83–86
Gardner EP (1988) Somatosensory cortical mechanisms of feature detection in tactile and kinesthetic discrimination. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 66:439–454
Hyvärinen J, Poranen A (1978) Receptive field integration and submodality convergence in the hand area of the postcentral gyrus of the alert monkey. J Physiol (Lond) 257:199–227
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M (1978a) Postcentral neurons in hand region of area 2:their possible role in the form discrimination of tactile objects. Brain Res 150:662–666
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M (1978b) Functional organization of receptive fields in the cat somatosensory cortex. I. Integration within the coronal region. Brain Res 151:49–60
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M (1978c) Functional organization of receptive fields in the cat somatosensory cortex. II. Second representation of the forepaw in the ansate region. Brain Res 151:61–72
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M (1991) Organization of the first somatosensory cortex for manipulation of objects: an analysis of behavioral changes induced by muscimol injection into identified cortical loci of awake monkeys. In: Franzen O, Westman J (eds) Information processing in the somatosensory system. (Symposium series, vol 57) Wenner-Gren International, Stockton, New York, pp 371–380
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Hikosaka O (1980) Overlapping representation of fingers in the somatosensory cortex (area 2) of the conscious monkey. Brain Res 197:516–520
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1983a) Functional subdivisions representing different finger regions in area 3 of the first somatosensory cortex of the conscious monkey. Exp Brain Res 51:315–326
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1983b) Converging patterns of finger representation and complex response properties of neurons in area 1 of the first somatosensory cortex of the conscious monkey. Exp Brain Res 51:327–337
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1985a) Diversity in receptive field properties of vertical neuronal arrays in the crown of the postcentral gyrus of the conscious monkey. Exp Brain Res 58:400–411
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1985b) Vertical neuronal arrays in the postcentral gyrus signaling active touch: a receptive field study in the conscious monkey. Exp Brain Res 58:412–420
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1985c) Functional surface integration, submodality convergence, and tactile feature detection in area 2 of the monkey somatosensory cortex. Exp Brain Res [Suppl] 10:44–58
Iwamura Y, Tanaka M, Sakamoto M, Hikosaka O (1985d) Comparison of the hand and finger representation in areas 3, 1, and 2 of the monkey somatosensory cortex. In: Rowe M, Willis D (eds) Development, organization, and processing in somatosensory pathways. Liss, New York, pp 239–245
Jones EG (1975) Lamination and differential distribution of thalamic afferents within the sensory-motor cortex of the squirrel monkey. J Comp Neurol 160:167–204
Jones EG, Burton H (1976) Areal differences in the laminar distribution of thalamic afferents in cortical fields of insular, parietal and temporal regions of primates. J Comp Neurol 168:197–247
Jones EG, Friedman DP (1982) Projection pattern of functional components of thalamic ventrobasal complex on monkey somatosensory cortex. J Neurophysiol 48:521–44
Jones EG, Porter R (1980) What is area 3a? Brain Res 203:1–43
Jones EG, Powell TPS (1970) Connections of the somatic sensory cortex of the rhesus monkey. III. Thalamic connections. Brain 93:37–56
Jones EG, Coulter JD, Hendry SHC (1978) Intracortical connectivity of architectonic fields in the somatic sensory, motor and parietal cortex of monkeys. J Comp Neurol 181:291–348
McKenna TM, Whitsel BL, Dreyer DA (1982) Anterior parietal cortical topographic organization in macaque monkey: a reevaluation. J Neurophysiol 48:289–317
Mountcastle VB, Lynch JC, Georgopoulos A, Sakata H, Acuna C (1975) Posterior parietal association cortex of the monkey: command functions for operations within extrapersonal space. J Neurophysiol 38:871–908
Pons TP, Kaas JH (1985) Connections of area 2 of somatosensory cortex with the anterior pulvinar and subdivisions of the ventroposterior complex in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol 240:16–36
Pons TP, Garraghty PE, Cusick CG, Kaas JH (1985) The somatotopic organization of area 2 in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol 241:445–466
Powell TPS, Mountcastle VB (1959a) The cytoarchitecture of the postcentral gyrus of the monkey Macaca mulatta. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp 105:108–131
Powell TPS, Mountcastle VB (1959b) Some aspects of the functional organization of the postcentral gyrus of the monkey: a correlation of findings obtained in a single unit analysis with cytoarchitecture. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp 105:133–162
Seltzer B, Pandya DN (1986) Posterior parietal projections to intraparietal sulcus of the rhesus monkey. Exp Brain Res 62:459–469
Shanks MF, Powell TPS (1981) An electron microscopic study of the termination of thalamocortical fibres in areas 3b, 1 and 2 of the somatic sensory cortex in the monkey. Brain Res 218:35–47
Vogt BA, Pandya DN (1978) Corticocortical connections of somatic sensory cortex (areas 3, 1, and 2) in the rhesus monkey. J Comp Neurol 177:179–192
Vogt C, Vogt O (1919) Ergebnisse unserer Hirnforschung. Vierte Mitteilung: die physiologische Bedeutung der architektonischen Rindenreizungen. J Psychol Neurol 25:279–461
Wannier TMJ, Maier MA, Hepp-Reymond M-C (1991) Contrasting properties of monkey somatosensory and motor cortex neurons activated during the control of force in precision grip. J Neurophysiol 65:572–589
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iwamura, Y., Tanaka, M., Sakamoto, M. et al. Rostrocaudal gradients in the neuronal receptive field complexity in the finger region of the alert monkey's postcentral gyrus. Exp Brain Res 92, 360–368 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229023
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229023