Spatial Distribution of Cortical Output Zones Affecting Combinations of Forelimb Muscles in the Monkey
Cheney, P. D.; Vincent, S. S.; Martin, R. F.; Fetz, E. E.
Show abstract
We investigated the dimensions of output zones affecting specific combinations of forelimb muscles in the precentral "motor" cortex of macaque monkeys. Single-pulse intracortical microstimulation (S-ICMS) was used to evoke subthreshold effects in multiple wrist and finger muscles. Results indicate that each motor cortex site represents a different combination of muscles. The effects evoked from cortical sites separated by several hundred microns invariably involved different profiles of muscle activity. The muscle fields of remote CM cells were rarely identical, while the fields of neighboring CM cells were often similar. Given the number of unrecorded muscles, we conclude that primate motor cortex is a mosaic of output sites representing forelimb muscles in different combinations.
Matching journals
The top 3 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.