Somatosensory cortex of prosimian Galagos: physiological recording, cytoarchitecture, and corticocortical connections of anterior parietal cortex and cortex of the lateral sulcus.

Compared with our growing understanding of the organization of somatosensory cortex in monkeys, little is known about prosimian primates, a major branch of primate evolution that diverged from anthropoid primates some 60 million years ago. Here we describe extensive results obtained from an African prosimian, Galago garnetti. Microelectrodes were used to record from large numbers of cortical sites in order to reveal regions of responsiveness to cutaneous stimuli and patterns of somatotopic organization. Injections of one to several distinguishable tracers were placed at physiologically identified sites in four different cortical areas to label corticortical connections. Both types of results were related to cortical architecture. Three systematic representations of cutaneous receptors were revealed by the microelectrode recordings, S1 proper or area 3b, S2, and the parietal ventral area (PV), as described in monkeys. Strips of cortex rostral (presumptive area 3a) and caudal (presumptive area 1-2) to area 3b responded poorly to tactile stimuli in anesthetized galagos, but connection patterns with area 3b indicated that parallel somatosensory representations exist in both of these regions. Area 3b also interconnected somatotopically with areas S2 and PV. Areas S2 and PV had connections with areas 3a, 3b, 1-2, each other, other regions of the lateral sulcus, motor cortex (M1), cingulate cortex, frontal cortex, orbital cortex, and inferior parietal cortex. Connection patterns and recordings provided evidence for several additional fields in the lateral sulcus, including a retroinsular area (Ri), a parietal rostral area (PR), and a ventral somatosensory area (VS). Galagos appear to have retained an ancestral preprimate arrangement of five basic areas (S1 proper, 3a, 1-2, S2, and PV). Some of the additional areas suggested for lateral parietal cortex may be primate specializations. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.