Faculty Bibliography

The origins of surface recorded evoked potentials have been investigated by combining recordings of single unit responses and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) from the postcentral gyrus of 4 alert macaque monkeys. Responses were elicited by mechanical tactile stimuli (airpuffs) which selectively activate rapidly adapting cutaneous mechanoreceptors, and permit patterned stimulation of a restricted area of skin. Epidurally recorded SEPs consisted of an early positive complex, beginning 8-10 msec after airpuff onset, with two prominent positive peaks (P15 and P25), succeeded by a large negative potential (N43) lasting 30 msec, and a late slow positivity (P70). SEPs, while consistent in wave form, varied slightly between monkeys. The amplitude of the early positive complex was enhanced by increasing the number of stimulated points, or by placing the airpuffs in the receptive fields of cortical neurons located beneath the SEP recording electrode. SEP amplitude was depressed when preceded 20-40 msec earlier by a conditioning stimulus to the same skin area. Single unit responses in areas 3b and 1 of primary somatosensory (SI) cortex consisted of a burst of impulses, beginning 11-12 msec after the airpuff onset, and lasting another 15-20 msec. Peak unitary activity occurred at 12-15 msec, corresponding to the P15 wave in the SEP. No peak in SI unit responses occurred in conjunction with the P25 wave. Although SI neurons fired at lower rates during P25, the lack of any peak in SI unit responses suggests that activity in other cortical areas, such as SII cortex, contributes to this wave. Most unit activity in SI cortex ceased by the onset of N43, and was replaced by a period of profound response depression, in which unit responses to additional tactile stimuli were reduced. We propose that the N43 wave reflects IPSPs in cortical neurons previously depolarized and excited by the airpuff stimulus. Late positive potentials (P70) in the SEP had no apparent counterpart in SI unit activity, suggesting generation at other cortical loci

Two epizootics of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in mice occurred within two months in one research facility consisting of several widely separated rooms. These outbreaks developed despite intensive institutional monitoring policies designed to prevent introduction and spread of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Evidence derived from serological and virological assays and interviews with the concerned investigators suggested that a single transplantable tumor carried in mice may have been responsible for spread of the virus. However, the tumor was not contaminated with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus at the time of its introduction into the mouse facility. The origin of the virus responsible for the outbreaks was not definitively established although data supported an hypothesis that the virus was introduced into the research facility by a wild or feral mouse. Virus spread from infected mice to humans did not occur, as measured by serological tests. However, a large and valuable animal facility was depopulated for safety reasons. Absorption of sera with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus antigen proved a necessary and reliable method for confirming specificity of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus fluorescence-positive reactions

(1) To study neural mechanisms used to encode kinesthetic information in somatosensory cortex of awake monkeys, we recorded from 227 single neurons responsive to joint movement or specific postures of the forelimb or hand (kinesthetic neurons). Unit responses were characterized quantitatively with respect to: (a) firing patterns; (b) responses to ramp changes in joint position and joint velocity; and (c) responses to sinusoidal joint movements. (2) Kinesthetic neurons were divided into 3 groups. Rapidly-adapting neurons (44%) responded only to joint movement, giving a burst of impulses proportional to velocity. They showed no tonic responses to limb posture. Two populations of tonically active neurons were observed: slowly-adapting neurons (43%) and postural neurons (13%). Both types increased their firing rates with increasing degrees of flexion or extension, showing maximum excitation at the extremes of joint position in the preferred direction. They were distinguished by their sensitivity to the velocity of movement, the size of the angle over which they respond, and the phase relation of their responses to sinusoidal joint movement. (3) The firing rates of kinesthetic neurons in S-I cortex are functions of both joint angle and joint velocity. The importance of each component varies in the 3 classes: velocity of movement is the most important determinant of firing rates of rapidly-adapting and slowly-adapting kinesthetic neurons, and joint angle predominates the responses of postural neurons

(1) In the somatosensory cortex of alert monkeys, 55 neurons were found which receive convergent information from two or more adjacent joints. Most of these multiple-joint neurons were excited by postures of the hand, particularly those involved in grasping. (2) Three basic types of joint interactions were observed. The simplest neurons (occlusion neurons) responded to postures of several different joints, but combination of the preferred postures produced no further increase in firing. The more complex cells showed summated responses to combined postures of adjacent joints, or subliminal facilitation between joints. The responses of both summation neurons and subliminal facilitation neurons were graded with joint angle, and there was an optimum or preferred position for both joints which gave the strongest response. (3) Multiple-joint neurons may provide a neuronal substrate for extracting postural information from several different populations of kinesthetic neurons. They therefore act as feature-detecting neurons, abstracting information about specific body postures