QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, June 14, 2006, 26(24):6485-6495; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5061-05.2006

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fitzgerald, P. J. Articles by Hsiao, S. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fitzgerald, P. J. Articles by Hsiao, S. S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Receptive Field (RF) Properties of the Macaque Second Somatosensory Cortex: RF Size, Shape, and Somatotopic Organization

Paul J. Fitzgerald, John W. Lane, Pramodsingh H. Thakur, and Steven S. Hsiao

Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Departments of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Steven Hsiao, Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, 338 Krieger Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Email: steven.hsiao{at}jhu.edu

The detailed structure of multidigit receptive fields (RFs) in somatosensory cortical areas such as the SII region has not been investigated previously using systematically controlled stimuli. Recently (Fitzgerald et al., 2004), we showed that the SII region comprises three adjoining fields: posterior, central, and anterior. Here we characterize the RF structures of the 928 neurons that were reported in that study using a motorized oriented bar that was indented into the 12 finger pads of digits 2–5. Most (81%) of the neurons were responsive to the oriented bar stimuli, and 81% of those neurons had RFs that spanned multiple digits. Furthermore, the RFs varied greatly in size, shape, and complexity. Some RFs contained only excitatory finger pads, some contained only inhibitory pads, and some contained both types of pads. A subset of the neurons (23%) showed orientation tuning within one or more pads. The RFs spread across different digits more than within individual digits, and the responsive finger pads for a given neuron tended to cluster together within the hand. Distal and lateral finger pads were better represented than proximal and medial finger pads. Furthermore, neurons in the posterior, central, and anterior SII region fields contained different proportions of RF types. These results collectively indicate that most SII region neurons are selective for different stimulus forms either within single finger pads or across multiple pads. We hypothesize that these RFs represent the kernels underlying the representation of tactile shape.

Key words: somatosensory cortex; tactile; SII; orientation; receptive field; somatotopy

---

Received June 8, 2005; revised May 11, 2006; accepted May 12, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Steven Hsiao, Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, 338 Krieger Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Email: steven.hsiao{at}jhu.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Corradi-Dell'Acqua, B. Tomasino, and G. R. Fink What Is the Position of an Arm Relative to the Body? Neural Correlates of Body Schema and Body Structural Description J. Neurosci., April 1, 2009; 29(13): 4162 - 4171. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.B. Eickhoff, C. Grefkes, G.R. Fink, and K. Zilles Functional Lateralization of Face, Hand, and Trunk Representation in Anatomically Defined Human Somatosensory Areas Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2008; 18(12): 2820 - 2830. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Stilla, G. Deshpande, S. LaConte, X. Hu, and K. Sathian Posteromedial Parietal Cortical Activity and Inputs Predict Tactile Spatial Acuity J. Neurosci., October 10, 2007; 27(41): 11091 - 11102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Roy, P. N. Steinmetz, S. S. Hsiao, K. O. Johnson, and E. Niebur Synchrony: A Neural Correlate of Somatosensory Attention J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2007; 98(3): 1645 - 1661. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. B. Hinkley, L. A. Krubitzer, S. S. Nagarajan, and E. A. Disbrow Sensorimotor Integration in S2, PV, and Parietal Rostroventral Areas of the Human Sylvian Fissure J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2007; 97(2): 1288 - 1297. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. H. Thakur, P. J. Fitzgerald, J. W. Lane, and S. S. Hsiao Receptive Field Properties of the Macaque Second Somatosensory Cortex: Nonlinear Mechanisms Underlying the Representation of Orientation Within a Finger Pad J. Neurosci., December 27, 2006; 26(52): 13567 - 13575. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. J. Fitzgerald, J. W. Lane, P. H. Thakur, and S. S. Hsiao Receptive field properties of the macaque second somatosensory cortex: representation of orientation on different finger pads. J. Neurosci., June 14, 2006; 26(24): 6473 - 6484. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help