“Novelty” cells in association cortex of cat

Development of Polysensory Responses in Association Cortex of Kitten

“…Although gross evoked potential (8,9) and unit (10,11) studies have shown association cortex of the adult cat to be responsive to auditory, visual, and somesthetic stimuli, the ontogeny of evoked responses in these areas is unclear. Marty (12) noted the general difficulty with which gross evoked potentials in nonprimary cortex of kitten can be elicited.…”

“…Although it is unclear why the response sequence of association area PMSA development is different from that in other systems, the major import of these data is that response properties of single neurons of this area are maturing during the time when many behaviors in the cat's repertoire are developing, including visual exploratory behaviors, play, and predatory activities (19). Lesion&and electrophysiological studies have suggested involvement of cortical association response areas in attentive aspects of behavior, stimulus integrative activities, and initiation of movement (11,20). Thus, the maturation of the cortical association areas may be involved in the development of complex behavioral sequences in the cat.…”