[Interhemispheric asymmetry in the functional organization of the prefrontal cortex in animals of different typologic...

Rats allocated to groups by the method of "emotional resonance": rats which did and did not escape crying of a partner (A- and E-groups, respectively). Unit activity in the right and left prefrontal brain cortex (PFC) was recorded in these rats. The recorded neurons neurons were divided in two groups according to their reaction to a change in the level of food motivation. The so-called D-neurons decreased their activity after feeding of animals after a 24-hour food deprivation and the other group (I-neurons) increased its firing rate rate in this situation. It was shown that hemispheric distributions of D- and I-neurons are different in selected rat groups. In E-rats the I-neurons substantially predominated in the left hemisphere, whereas the D-neurons were more frequently recorded in the right one. No such asymmetry was observed in A-group of rats. During intracranial stimulation of emotionally positive brain structures I-neurons increased their firing rate, predominantly, in the left hemisphere, whereas during intracranial emotionally negative stimulation activation of the D-neurons predominated at the right. Features of the observed functional interhemispheric asymmetry of prefrontal cortex in A- and E-groups of rats were explained by differences in the interaction between hemispheres and dissimilar activation control.