Parietal association cortex in the primate: sensory mechanisms and behavioral modulations

Abstract

Posterior parietal cortex is composed of neurons with sensory responses, some of which associate information from the visual and somatosensory environment with internal data. Parietal neurons respond to sensory stimulation in the absence of movement, but do not fire in association with movement in the absence of a stimulus. When a light is the target for a movement, the sensory response can be enhanced. For all parietal neurons, discharge is indicative of the presence of a stimulus and not predictive of movement. Posterior parietal cortex is related to visual attention; in this context it is related to movement but dissociable from it. Rhesus monkeys have been used in research in this area.