Effects of stimulation of the claustrum on the spontaneous activity of pyramidal neurons of the contralateral motor areas 4 and 6 in the cat

: In order to investigate the functional meaning of the connections between the claustrum and the controlateral motor areas, the extracellular spontaneous activity of 81 PTNs was recorded. Single shock controlateral claustrum stimulation inhibited twenty-two out of the 81 PTNs. On four of the twenty-two PTNs the inhibition was preceded by an early activation. The split of the corpus callosum was performed in 5 cats in order to study the pathway followed by claustrum fibers to the controlateral motor cortex. It is ipothesized that the relationship between the claustrum and controlateral area 4 and 6 PTNs might have the purpose of giving the pyramidal output the bilateral contribution of a plurisensory structure.