The premotor cortex, one of the major areas of the cerebral cortex is suggested to be involved in numerous aspects of motor behavior. One idea is that it has a role in the learning of motor skills. Lesions studies suggest deficits in recalling movements from memory. Other studies show the involvement of this part of the cortex in movement preparation. Dr. Timothy Ebner believes this brain area is concerned with the preparation and visual guidance of the limbs or hands during voluntary movements into various regions of reachable extra personal space. His work proceeds under that hypothesis. In primates trained to make voluntary movements in the horizontal plane which require visually guiding a cursor into target zones, the discharge of single neurons in the premotor cortex will be recorded. Four aspects of the cell's activity in relation to complex movements will be studied. First, is to define the region within two dimensional space in which a cell is modulated during reaching movements. Second, the relationship between the discharge pattern of premotor cortical neurons and movement kinematics will be addressed. Third, the responsiveness of premotor cortex neurons to "errors" in motor performance and corrective movement will be evaluated. Fourth, how the discharge of single cells change in the process of adapting a movement to match externally exposed constraints will be determined. Overall, these studies will define which features of two dimensional, visually guided movements are represented in the premotor cortex.
