Area 3b hand cortex in primate: the targets and sources of extra-hand suppressive surrounds

摘要 我们以前的研究揭示了初级神经元感受野(RF)的复杂组织 猕猴的体感皮质(3b区)。神经元有小的兴奋中心，这些中心创造了 手部的体视图，包括无毛的手的所有其余部分的抑制周围，以及 较弱的抑制环境，包括所有的皮肤(“额外的手”环境)。我们 建议确定不同层次的神经元是否有相似或不同的周围，周围有什么特征 从丘脑传递到3b区神经元，以及调节大脑皮质不同部分的连接 通过灭活直接或间接向3b区手部神经元提供反馈的皮质区域来包围。在……里面 此外，我们将确定由于选择性脊髓导致的手部感觉输入的主要损失 损害，改变剥夺和非剥夺3b手皮层神经元的中心-周围关系， 即使在广泛的损伤后恢复的3b重新激活和手使用。预期的结果将大大 扩大我们对来自手的触觉信息在躯体感觉中是如何处理的理解 系统，以及感觉丧失后加工如何受损和恢复。这些结果将会有一个明确的 脊髓损伤后治疗干预的影响。

Summary Our previous studies have revealed a complex organization of receptive fields (RFs) of neurons in primary somatosensory cortex of monkeys (area 3b). The neurons have small excitatory centers that create the somatotopic map of the hand, a suppressive surround that includes all of the rest of the glabrous hand, and a weaker suppressive surround that includes all of the skin on the other hand (the “extra hand” surround). We propose to determine if neurons in different layers have similar or different surrounds, what surround features are relayed from the thalamus to area 3b neurons, and the connections that mediate different parts of the surround by inactivating cortical areas that directly or indirectly provide feedback to area 3b hand neurons. In addition, we will determine how a major loss of sensory inputs from the hand, due to selective spinal cord lesions, alters the center-surround relationships of neurons in the deprived and non-deprived 3b hand cortex, even after extensive post lesion recovery of 3b reactivation and hand use. The expected results will greatly expand our understanding of how tactile information from the hands is processed in the somatosensory system, and how processing is impaired and recovered following sensory loss. These results will have a clear impact on therapeutic intervention following spinal cord injury.