| Abstract: | A comparative study of neuronal response in separate cortical columns of the somatosensory cortex (the barrel field area) was made in unanesthetized partially curarized white rats under various circumstances: during passive deflection of immobile vibrissa, unhindered volitional sweeping movement of the vibrissae, and during movement induced by stimulating the motor cortex and facial muscles. Differences in the response of the same neurons emerged under these different experimental situations. Different groups of neurons — responding before, during, and after volitional vibrissa movements were observed. Such response is thought to be triggered by different afferent trains reaching cortical column neurons from sources including the motor cortex, the vibrissa follicle receptors, and facial muscles.Institute of Neurocybernetics, State University, Rostov-on-Don. State University, Simferopol. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 235–242, March–April, 1990. |
