Low threshold afferent projections from the oral cavity and the face to the cerebral cortex of the cat.

Abstract

The projections of low threshold afferents from the oral cavity and the face to the cerebral cortex of cats anaesthetized with chloralose were investigated. The projection fields of the ipsi- and contralateral lingual, inferior alveolar, mental, superior alveolar, infraorbital, (separate branches from whiskers and nose), ophthalmic, great auricular and the contralateral superficial radial nerves were localized. Surface potentials of short latency and maximal amplitude were recorded and their location traced on photographs of the rostral part of the right cerebral hemisphere. Reference points were indicated with india ink punctures. The extent of the cytoarchitectonic areas was determined on histological serial sections and the borders transferred to the photographs of the hemisphere. The features of the projections were related to the cytoarchitecture and to the pattern of the gyri and sulci. It was observed that the low threshold afferents from the oral cavity and the face projected via fast conducting, presumably three synaptic paths, to separate locations in areas 3a, 3b, 5a and 6a beta. The projections to area 3b were somatotopically organized starting with the auricular and the ophthalmic nerve projections lateral to the 3b projection of the forelimb in the posterior sigmoid gyrus and continuing with the maxillary nose, maxillary whiskers, mental nerve, superior alveolar, inferior alveolar and lingual nerve fields along the coronal gyrus towards the presylvian sulcus. The somatotopy was, however, not isomorphic with the body surface but displayed consecutive, overlapping bands across area 3b. The projections to area 3a were similarly organized. The somatotopy was less obvious in area 5a and 6a beta. Convergent projections with responses of slightly longer latency were observed in area 43 (gyrus orbitalis).