Responses of precentral cells during cooling of post-central cortex in conscious monkeys

• Published in: The Journal of physiology Vol. 368; no. 1; pp. 611 - 625
• Main Authors: Brinkman, J, Colebatch, J G, Porter, R, York, D H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford The Physiological Society 01.11.1985; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Cold Temperature; Electrophysiology; Evoked Potentials; Forelimb; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Macaca fascicularis; Motor Cortex - cytology; Motor Cortex - physiology; Movement; Neurons - physiology; Time Factors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Somatosensory cortex; Vertebrata; Cerebral cortex; Mammalia; Cooling; Body movement; Monkey; Primates; Forelimb
• ISSN: 0022-3751; 1469-7793
• DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.1985.sp015879

A cooling plate was implanted over the forelimb representation in area 2 of the post-central region of cerebral cortex in two monkeys. Recordings were made of the discharges of thirty-seven movement-related neurones (thirty-four precentral and three post-central) in the forelimb motor representation of the cerebral cortex during active and passively imposed limb movements before, during and after cooling area 2 and local surrounding regions. Perfusion of the cooling plate with ice-cooled water for 3-5 min caused marked clumsiness of the conscious animal's forelimb movement and anaesthesia of the contralateral hand. Cooling of area 2 did not reduce the responses of area 4 cells to passive joint movements, nor did it alter the over-all pattern of activity of these cells during self-initiated lever pulling while that could still be performed. Cooling of area 2 did cause a significant increase in background cellular discharge in area 4 while the animal was at rest. Afferent impulses which are generated by passive joint movement and which have been shown to influence cells in area 4 of the conscious monkey at short latencies are probably not transmitted through cortico-cortical connexions from area 2.