
Sensory computations in the cuneate nucleus of macaques
Author(s) -
Aneesha K. Suresh,
Charles M. Greenspon,
Qinpu He,
Joshua M. Rosenow,
Lee E. Miller,
Sliman J. Bensmaı̈a
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2115772118
Subject(s) - neuroscience , receptive field , sensory system , cuneate nucleus , sensory processing , nucleus , cerebral cortex , anatomy , biology
Significance Perception is the outcome of the sequential processing of sensory signals at multiple stages along the neuraxis. The conventional view is that tactile signals are processed predominantly in the cerebral cortex. We tested this view by investigating the response properties of neurons in the cuneate nucleus (CN), the first potential stage of processing along the primary touch neuraxis. We found that CN responses more closely resemble those of cortical neurons than they do those of nerve fibers: CN neurons have spatially complex receptive fields reflecting convergent input from multiple classes of nerve fibers and exhibit a selectivity for object features, absent in the nerve. We conclude that the CN plays a key, early role in the processing of tactile information.