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Representation of face and intra‐oral structures in area 3b of macaque monkey somatosensory cortex
Author(s) -
Manger Paul R.,
Woods Timothy M.,
Jones Edward G.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19960805)371:4<513::aid-cne2>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - somatosensory system , macaque , anatomy , central sulcus , neuroscience , sulcus , trigeminal nerve , thalamus , cortex (anatomy) , representation (politics) , stereoelectroencephalography , biology , motor cortex , ictal , electroencephalography , stimulation , politics , political science , law
Details of the representation of body regions innervated by the trigeminal nerve were elucidated in monkey cerebral cortex. Microelectrode recording was used to generate somatosensory maps in the posterior bank of the central sulcus and on the exposed cortical surface lateral to the lateral tip of the central sulcus in Macaca nemestrina . The area innervated by the contralateral trigeminal nerve is represented in an 8‐mm mediolateral extent of area 3b lateral to the representation of the hand. Lateral to this, still within area 3b, there is an expanded representation of ipsilateral intra‐oral structures measuring 6 mm in mediolateral extent. Both representations fill area 3b anteroposteriorly. The ipsilateral representation forms approximately 40% of the trigeminal representation, consistent with the amount of the ventroposterior medial (VPM) thalamic nucleus devoted to representation of ipsilateral intra‐oral structures. Comparison of the present results with maps of the face representation in other species of monkey shows a consistent somatotopy of the face between species; size variations are mainly related to the enlarged ipsi‐ and contralateral representations of the cheek pouches in macaques. The general somatotopy of the trigeminal representation in monkeys is consistent with that in other mammalian species. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.