Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol 68, Issue 3 969-972, Copyright © 1992 by APS

ARTICLES

Primate premotor cortex: dissociation of visuomotor from sensory signals

S. P. Wise, G. Di Pellegrino and D. Boussaoud
Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Poolesville, Maryland 20837.

1. If we assume adequate control for attention, memory, and stimulus location, a bona fide sensory response would be unaffected by whether a visuospatial stimulus instructs (1) one limb movement versus another or (2) limb movement versus a shift in spatial attention or memory. Two behavioral methods tested whether apparently sensory responses in the monkey's premotor cortex are strictly that, or, alternatively, whether they reflect the action instructed by a stimulus. 2. When an identical stimulus leads to two different responses, phasic discharge after a visuospatial stimulus is significantly, often dramatically, affected by the response. Similarly, premotor cortex neurons discharge more after a stimulus instructs a limb movement than after the same stimulus instructs a shift in spatial attention or memory. Thus, for the majority of premotor cortex neurons, the hypothesis that phasic poststimulus activity modulation represents a sensory response can be rejected.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Cavina-Pratesi, K. F. Valyear, J. C. Culham, S. Kohler, S. S. Obhi, C. A. Marzi, and M. A. Goodale Dissociating arbitrary stimulus-response mapping from movement planning during preparatory period: evidence from event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. J. Neurosci., March 8, 2006; 26(10): 2704 - 2713. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Cisek, D. J. Crammond, and J. F. Kalaska Neural Activity in Primary Motor and Dorsal Premotor Cortex In Reaching Tasks With the Contralateral Versus Ipsilateral Arm J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2003; 89(2): 922 - 942. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Cisek and J. F. Kalaska Modest Gaze-Related Discharge Modulation in Monkey Dorsal Premotor Cortex During a Reaching Task Performed With Free Fixation J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2002; 88(2): 1064 - 1072. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Crammond and J. F. Kalaska Prior Information in Motor and Premotor Cortex: Activity During the Delay Period and Effect on Pre-Movement Activity J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2000; 84(2): 986 - 1005. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Naito, S. Kinomura, S. Geyer, R. Kawashima, P. E. Roland, and K. Zilles Fast Reaction to Different Sensory Modalities Activates Common Fields in the Motor Areas, but the Anterior Cingulate Cortex is Involved in the Speed of Reaction J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2000; 83(3): 1701 - 1709. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Zhang and T. J. Sejnowski A Theory of Geometric Constraints on Neural Activity for Natural Three-Dimensional Movement J. Neurosci., April 15, 1999; 19(8): 3122 - 3145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.T.V. Johnson, J. D. Coltz, M. C. Hagen, and T. J. Ebner Visuomotor Processing as Reflected in the Directional Discharge of Premotor and Primary Motor Cortex Neurons J Neurophysiol, February 1, 1999; 81(2): 875 - 894. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Sakai, O. Hikosaka, S. Miyauchi, Y. Sasaki, N. Fujimaki, and B. Putz Presupplementary Motor Area Activation during Sequence Learning Reflects Visuo-Motor Association J. Neurosci., May 15, 1999; 19(10): RC1 - RC1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]