Anatomical and functional aspects of the associative projections from somatic area SI to SII

Electrophysiological and morphological (retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase, HRP) experiments have been carried out in the cat in order to study the associative projections from area SI to ipsilateral SII. Microelectrode recordings were performed in the forepaw focus of SII both in normal (64 units) and in SI-undercut (51 units) cats. 29.6% of the neurons recorded in the unoperated and 29.4% of those collected in the operated cats were excited by electric stimulation of the ipsilateral SI (forepaw focus). In both preparations almost all such units were endowed with large (either contra- or bilateral) receptive fields (RF). Cell population recorded in the SI-undercut cats showed no significant impairment to peripheral stimuli and/or changes in the size of the RFs. From the forepaw focus of SI, 150 units have been recorded and tested by stimulation of the homologous focus of the ipsilateral SII. Eight of them were fired antidromically and thus identified as association cells. Their RFs were very small and located only in the digits of the contralateral forepaw. Both single or multiple HRP injections were performed in SII. Retrogradely labeled cells were found in the ipsilateral SI. The great majority of association cells are pyramids and dwell mainly in layer III. In spite of the large diffusion of the exogeneous reaction product in the injected SII and of the presence of retrogradely labeled cells anywhere in the ipsilateral thalamic VB complex, the distribution of association cells is unequal throughout SI since they strongly predominate in the digit zone of the forepaw representation.