The long-term goal of this research is to understand the neural substrates underlying certain forms of complex visual behavior and other higher cortical functions. To this end, a combined anatomical and physiological approach will be used to study multimodal sensory cortex in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) of the rhesus monkey. This region, termed the Superior Temporal Polymodal area (STP), contains cells that respond predominantly to visual, but also to somatic sensory and auditory, stimuli as well as to stimulfation in more than one sensory modality. Anatomical studies gave shown that cortex in the region of STP receives converging inputs from visual, somatic sensory, and auditory areas. Since it is likely to be homologous to areas of the human brain that subsetve such functions as visuospatial ability, language, and directed attention, an analysis of STP cortex in monkeys may contribute to understanding their neural bases. Disruption of these areas by focal or diffuse disease cause devastating symptoms such as visual agnosia, aphasia, and neglect. Anatomical studies have parcellated the STP region into several cytoarchitectonic/connectional areas. More recent studies suggest that one of these, architectonic area TPO, can be further subdivided into four different interconnecting units along the rostrocaudal axis of the STS. Caudal sectors of area TPO have markedly different extrinsic connections from those of rostral TPO. This suggests possible funcrional differences betwen rostral and caudal divisions, As a first step toward understanding the funcrional organization of the STP region, therefore, the proposed studies will determine the location, extent, and internal organization of the caudal subregion cSTP. Neurophysiological mapping techniques will be used to examine clustering of unimodal and multimodal responses within cSTP and its overall visual and somatosensory topography, and to identify physiological distinctions from adjoining areas of cortex. The physiological demarcations within the STS will be compared with patterns of cortical cyto-and myeloarchitectonics. In the same experiments, conventional neuroanatomical tracers will be injected into physiologically identified sites in cSTP, and the relationship of response clusters to patterns of intrinsic and extrinsic cortical connections will be examined.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01EY008906-01A1
Application #
3266284
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Project Start
1991-09-30
Project End
1994-09-29
Budget Start
1991-09-30
Budget End
1992-09-29
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Tulane University
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
New Orleans
State
LA
Country
United States
Zip Code
70118
Cola, Monique G; Seltzer, Ben; Preuss, Todd M et al. (2005) Neurochemical organization of chimpanzee inferior pulvinar complex. J Comp Neurol 484:299-312
Padberg, Jeffrey; Seltzer, Ben; Cusick, Catherine G (2003) Architectonics and cortical connections of the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus in the rhesus monkey: an analysis in the tangential plane. J Comp Neurol 467:418-34
Gutierrez, C; Cola, M G; Seltzer, B et al. (2000) Neurochemical and connectional organization of the dorsal pulvinar complex in monkeys. J Comp Neurol 419:61-86
Cola, M G; Gray, D N; Seltzer, B et al. (1999) Human thalamus: neurochemical mapping of inferior pulvinar complex. Neuroreport 10:3733-8
Gray, D; Gutierrez, C; Cusick, C G (1999) Neurochemical organization of inferior pulvinar complex in squirrel monkeys and macaques revealed by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, calbindin and Cat-301 immunostaining, and Wisteria floribunda agglutinin binding. J Comp Neurol 409:452-68
Preuss, T M; Gray, D; Cusick, C G (1998) Subdivisions of the motor and somatosensory thalamus of primates revealed with Wisteria floribunda agglutinin histochemistry. Somatosens Mot Res 15:211-9
Gutierrez, C; Cusick, C G (1997) Area V1 in macaque monkeys projects to multiple histochemically defined subdivisions of the inferior pulvinar complex. Brain Res 765:349-56
Seltzer, B; Cola, M G; Gutierrez, C et al. (1996) Overlapping and nonoverlapping cortical projections to cortex of the superior temporal sulcus in the rhesus monkey: double anterograde tracer studies. J Comp Neurol 370:173-90
Cusick, C G; Seltzer, B; Cola, M et al. (1995) Chemoarchitectonics and corticocortical terminations within the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey: evidence for subdivisions of superior temporal polysensory cortex. J Comp Neurol 360:513-35
Gutierrez, C; Yaun, A; Cusick, C G (1995) Neurochemical subdivisions of the inferior pulvinar in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol 363:545-562

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