Activity of neurons of the cat motor cortex during differentiation between reactions of right and left paw placement on a support developed in response to stimulation of the parietal cortex of the different hemispheres.

Differentiation was developed in cats between reactions of the placement of the right and left paw on a support in response to stimulation of the ipsilateral (right or left, respectively) parietal cortex (PC) in the region of field 5. The shortest-latency primary responses of the neurons of the MC do not vary in relation to whether stimulation of the PC does or does not elicit the conditioned motor reaction of the limb. Stimulation of the PC as a conditional signal triggering the cPR elicits, in addition to the primary responses, the generation of excitatory reactions of neurons of the MC in the interval from 20 to 200 msec and longer; if the motor reaction is not triggered or if a reaction of the limb ipsilateral to the motor cortex is triggered, an inhibitory pause is generated in the indicated time interval.