ABSTRACT
Two monkeys were trained in a delayed sequential motor task in which the time interval between events and the delay duration were either fixed or variable. Single-unit neuronal activity was recorded in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). During the delay, we observed a gradual increase in activity (build-up pattern) in the fixed but not in the variable condition. In the former but not in the latter, the monkey had the opportunity to estimate time duration. Consequently, the build-up pattern observed in the pre-SMA might represent the neuronal substrate of a time accumulator system proposed by previous authors on the basis of functional imaging data. Such a system could play a critical role in the working memory of temporal information.
Subject(s)
Evoked Potentials, Motor/physiology , Frontal Lobe/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Psychomotor Performance/physiology , Reaction Time/physiology , Time Perception/physiology , Action Potentials/physiology , Animals , Cognition/physiology , Haplorhini , Movement/physiology , Neuropsychological TestsABSTRACT
A number of cortical motor areas have been identified on the medial wall of the hemisphere in monkeys. However, their specific role in motor control remains unclear. In this study, we sought to describe and compare the functional properties of the presupplementary (pre-SMA) and rostral cingulate (CMAr) motor areas in two monkeys performing a visually instructed, delayed, sequential movement. We recorded 134 task-related neurons in the pre-SMA and 149 in the CMAr. The main difference between the two areas was the abundance of responses to targets (46%) in the pre-SMA, while CMAr activity was more related to reward (28%). Neuronal responses to targets were more phasic and higher in frequency in the pre-SMA than in the CMAr. During the delay, the percentage of neuronal responses was similar in the two areas. The discharge pattern was different depending upon whether the delay duration was fixed or variable but in most neurons was the same regardless of the sequence performed. Movement-related changes were common in the pre-SMA (75%) and in the CMAr (81%) but they occurred earlier in the former. Neurons activated exclusively during movement were more numerous in the CMAr. Finally, neuronal activity in the pre-SMA was more related to the sequential aspect of the task compared to the CMAr. Our results suggest that although the two areas share functional properties, they also participate in different aspects of motor behaviour. Their functional properties reflect their anatomical positions, which give them the potential to integrate external stimuli (pre-SMA) and internal states (CMAr) during motor planning.
Subject(s)
Action Potentials/physiology , Cognition/physiology , Gyrus Cinguli/physiology , Macaca mulatta/physiology , Motor Cortex/physiology , Movement/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Psychomotor Performance/physiology , Animals , Brain Mapping , Cues , Electric Stimulation , Electromyography , Female , Forelimb/innervation , Forelimb/physiology , Gyrus Cinguli/cytology , Macaca mulatta/anatomy & histology , Motor Cortex/cytology , Muscle Contraction/physiology , Muscle, Skeletal/innervation , Muscle, Skeletal/physiology , Neural Pathways/cytology , Neural Pathways/physiology , Photic Stimulation , Reaction Time/physiology , Saccades/physiologyABSTRACT
Extracellular neuronal recordings were performed in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) of normal and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats during intrastriatal D1 and D2 dopaminergic-agonist injections. Three types of responses were observed, inhibition, excitation and/or regularization of neuronal discharge patterns. In normal rats, variable responses were observed after D2 injections and a predominance of inhibition after D1 injections. In lesioned rats, the percentage of neurons inhibited and that of neurons regularized increased following D2 injections. During sequential intrastriatal D1 and D2 agonist injections, a response to both dopaminergic agents was observed in 22.5% and 55.5% of SNr neurons in normal and lesioned rats, respectively. Our data suggests that the physiological relevance of direct and indirect pathways convergence upon a given SNr target neuron depends on their respective synaptic weight, the influence of surrounding SNr neurons and the state of dopamine depletion.
