Journal of Neuroscience · 1994 · 585 citations · 32 references
Life SciencesNeurobiologyNeuroscienceSensory NeurobiologySensory NeuroscienceSensory PhysiologyGustatory SystemMultisensory IntegrationSensory PathwaysSensory PerceptionSensory ProcessingSensory SystemsGustatory NeurophysiologyGustatory PathwayGustatory PerceptionGustatory ProcessingGustatory Sensory CodingOrbitofrontal Taste RepresentationProjection NeuronsSensory Modalities
Food perception relies on convergence of gustatory, olfactory, and visual signals, and prior work has identified taste, olfactory, and visual-responsive neurons across distinct orbitofrontal cortex subregions, suggesting it serves as a multimodal convergence area. The study aimed to determine whether neurons in the caudal two-thirds of the macaque orbitofrontal cortex exhibit convergence of gustatory, olfactory, and visual inputs. Neurons across the caudal two-thirds of the orbitofrontal cortex were recorded while presenting taste, smell, and visual stimuli to assess multimodal responses. Neurons responded to individual modalities, and many displayed bimodal responses, with multimodal and unimodal neurons intermingled, indicating that the orbitofrontal cortex is likely the first cortical convergence site for these three modalities in primates.
Behavioral and perceptual responses to food depend on a convergence between gustatory, olfactory, and visual information. In previous studies a secondary cortical taste area has been found in the caudolateral orbitofrontal cortex of the primate. Furthermore, neurons with olfactory responses have been recorded in a more medial part of the orbitofrontal cortex, and visual inputs have been shown to influence neurons in an intermediate region. These studies suggest that the orbitofrontal cortex may act as a region for convergence of multiple sensory modalities including chemosensation. In the present study neurons throughout the caudal two-thirds of the orbitofrontal cortex of the macaque were tested to gustatory, to olfactory, and to visual stimulation to investigate whether convergence occurs. Neurons in this region of cortex were found that responded to stimulation of the taste, olfactory, or visual system. In addition, some neurons were found with bimodal responses, responding for example to both taste and olfactory, or taste and visual stimuli. Since these multimodal neurons were found in very close proximity to unimodal neurons, and the unimodal sensory neurons were intermingled, it is possible that the orbitofrontal cortex represents the first cortical area of convergence for these three modalities in primates.
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Cortico-cortical connections in the rhesus monkey
Deepak Ν. Pandya, H.G.J.M. Kuypers · Brain Research · 1969 · 1.1K citations