Somatosensory Responsiveness in Behaving Monkeys and Human Subjects.
Abstract
Several research goals were accomplished during the four years of this grant. We found that the responsiveness of primary somatosensory (SI) cortical neurons is unattenuated" if when behavioral conditions become unpredictable and that SI neurons responding to sensory cues for wrist movement with the greatest fidelity have their activity modulated just prior to movement onset. These observations fits with the hypotheses that during predictable and stereotyped behaviors, neuronal responsiveness is gated so that the CNS may partially engage in other activities and that sensory inputs that are no longer behaviorally relevant are gated so as not to interfere with monitoring movement parameters by the primate CNS. We also found that human subjects can improve in their ability to perform simple motor tasks and that the improvement can be modeled to predict which subject will eventually be good performers after only a few days of training. Moreover, the initiation of intended movements can be interrupted by tactile abort signals given prior to movement execution if these signals are given in the proper manner.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 16, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA299724
Entities
People
- Randall J. Nelson
Organizations
- University of Tennessee