In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sec... more In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sector designated as frontal eye field (FEF), involved in controlling oculomotor behavior and spatial attention. Evidence for at least two FEFs in humans is at the basis of the still open issue of the possible homologies between the macaque and the human frontal oculomotor system. In this review article we address this issue suggesting a new view solidly grounded on evidence from the last decade showing that, in macaques, the FEF is at the core of an oculomotor domain in which several distinct areas, including areas 45A and 45B, provide the substrate for parallel processing of different aspects of oculomotor behavior. Based on comparative considerations, we will propose a correspondence between some of the macaque and the human oculomotor fields, thus suggesting sharing of neural substrate for oculomotor control, gaze processing, and orienting attention in space. Accordingly, this article could contribute to settle some aspects of the so-called "enigma" of the human FEF anatomy.
To investigate the fine anatomical organization of cortical inputs to visual association area TE,... more To investigate the fine anatomical organization of cortical inputs to visual association area TE, 2--3 small injections of retrograde tracers were made in macaque monkeys. Injections were made as a terminal procedure, after optical imaging and electrophysiological recording, and targeted to patches physiologically identified as object-selective. Retrogradely labeled neurons occurred in several unimodal visual areas, the superior temporal sulcus, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and prefrontal cortex (PFC), consistent with previous studies. Despite the small injection size (<0.5 mm wide), the projection foci in visual areas, but not in IPS or PFC, were spatially widespread (4--6 mm in extent), and predominantly consisted of neurons labeled by only one of the injections. This can be seen as a quasi-modular organization. In addition, within each projection focus, there were scattered neurons projecting to one of the other injections, together with some double-labeled (DL) neurons, in a m...
In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sec... more In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sector designated as frontal eye field (FEF), involved in controlling oculomotor behavior and spatial attention. Evidence for at least two FEFs in humans is at the basis of the still open issue of the possible homologies between the macaque and the human frontal oculomotor system. In this review article we address this issue suggesting a new view solidly grounded on evidence from the last decade showing that, in macaques, the FEF is at the core of an oculomotor domain in which several distinct areas, including areas 45A and 45B, provide the substrate for parallel processing of different aspects of oculomotor behavior. Based on comparative considerations, we will propose a correspondence between some of the macaque and the human oculomotor fields, thus suggesting sharing of neural substrate for oculomotor control, gaze processing, and orienting attention in space. Accordingly, this article could contribute to settle some aspects of the so-called "enigma" of the human FEF anatomy.
We traced the cortical connections of the anterior intraparietal (AIP) area, which is known to pl... more We traced the cortical connections of the anterior intraparietal (AIP) area, which is known to play a crucial role in visuomotor transformations for grasping. AIP displayed major connections with 1) areas of the inferior parietal lobule convexity, the rostral part of the lateral intraparietal area and the SII region; 2) ventral visual stream areas of the lower bank of the superior temporal sulcus and the middle temporal gyrus; and 3) the premotor area F5 and prefrontal areas 46 and 12. Additional connections were observed with the caudal intraparietal area and the ventral part of the frontal eye field. This study suggests that visuomotor trans-formations for object-oriented actions, processed in AIP, rely not only on dorsal visual stream information related to the object’s physical properties but also on ventral visual stream information related to object identity. The identification of direct anatomical connections with the inferotemporal cortex suggests that AIP also has a unique ...
A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: An anatomical study in the macaq... more A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: An anatomical study in the macaque monkey
doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00243 A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: an... more doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00243 A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: an anatomical study in the macaque monkey
In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sec... more In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sector designated as frontal eye field (FEF), involved in controlling oculomotor behavior and spatial attention. Evidence for at least two FEFs in humans is at the basis of the still open issue of the possible homologies between the macaque and the human frontal oculomotor system. In this review article we address this issue suggesting a new view solidly grounded on evidence from the last decade showing that, in macaques, the FEF is at the core of an oculomotor domain in which several distinct areas, including areas 45A and 45B, provide the substrate for parallel processing of different aspects of oculomotor behavior. Based on comparative considerations, we will propose a correspondence between some of the macaque and the human oculomotor fields, thus suggesting sharing of neural substrate for oculomotor control, gaze processing, and orienting attention in space. Accordingly, this article could contribute to settle some aspects of the so-called "enigma" of the human FEF anatomy.
To investigate the fine anatomical organization of cortical inputs to visual association area TE,... more To investigate the fine anatomical organization of cortical inputs to visual association area TE, 2--3 small injections of retrograde tracers were made in macaque monkeys. Injections were made as a terminal procedure, after optical imaging and electrophysiological recording, and targeted to patches physiologically identified as object-selective. Retrogradely labeled neurons occurred in several unimodal visual areas, the superior temporal sulcus, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and prefrontal cortex (PFC), consistent with previous studies. Despite the small injection size (<0.5 mm wide), the projection foci in visual areas, but not in IPS or PFC, were spatially widespread (4--6 mm in extent), and predominantly consisted of neurons labeled by only one of the injections. This can be seen as a quasi-modular organization. In addition, within each projection focus, there were scattered neurons projecting to one of the other injections, together with some double-labeled (DL) neurons, in a m...
In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sec... more In non-human primates, at the junction of the prefrontal with the premotor cortex, there is a sector designated as frontal eye field (FEF), involved in controlling oculomotor behavior and spatial attention. Evidence for at least two FEFs in humans is at the basis of the still open issue of the possible homologies between the macaque and the human frontal oculomotor system. In this review article we address this issue suggesting a new view solidly grounded on evidence from the last decade showing that, in macaques, the FEF is at the core of an oculomotor domain in which several distinct areas, including areas 45A and 45B, provide the substrate for parallel processing of different aspects of oculomotor behavior. Based on comparative considerations, we will propose a correspondence between some of the macaque and the human oculomotor fields, thus suggesting sharing of neural substrate for oculomotor control, gaze processing, and orienting attention in space. Accordingly, this article could contribute to settle some aspects of the so-called "enigma" of the human FEF anatomy.
We traced the cortical connections of the anterior intraparietal (AIP) area, which is known to pl... more We traced the cortical connections of the anterior intraparietal (AIP) area, which is known to play a crucial role in visuomotor transformations for grasping. AIP displayed major connections with 1) areas of the inferior parietal lobule convexity, the rostral part of the lateral intraparietal area and the SII region; 2) ventral visual stream areas of the lower bank of the superior temporal sulcus and the middle temporal gyrus; and 3) the premotor area F5 and prefrontal areas 46 and 12. Additional connections were observed with the caudal intraparietal area and the ventral part of the frontal eye field. This study suggests that visuomotor trans-formations for object-oriented actions, processed in AIP, rely not only on dorsal visual stream information related to the object’s physical properties but also on ventral visual stream information related to object identity. The identification of direct anatomical connections with the inferotemporal cortex suggests that AIP also has a unique ...
A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: An anatomical study in the macaq... more A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: An anatomical study in the macaque monkey
doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00243 A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: an... more doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00243 A shared neural network for emotional expression and perception: an anatomical study in the macaque monkey
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Papers by Elena Borra