Independent controls of attentional influences in primary and secondary somatosensory cortex

The neuronal mechanisms underlying enhanced perception of tactile stimuli with directed attention were investigated using single-unit recordings from primary (S1, n = 53) and secondary (S2, n = 50) somatosensory cortex in macaque monkeys. Neuronal responses to textures scanned under the digit tips (spatial periods, SP, of 2, 3.7 or 4.7 mm) were recorded while attention was directed either to discriminating a change in texture or to the reward and also in a neutral no-task condition. Cell discharge was quantified in three periods of the trials: salient Delta texture (directed attention), postreward, and static (both cases, attention directed to the reward). S1 texture- and non-texture-sensitive cells, as well as S2 non-texture-sensitive cells, showed a modest enhancement of discharge during the salient Delta texture period (approximately 25%) but no change in response gain, consistent with an additive increase in neuronal responsiveness with directed attention. In contrast, S2 texture-related cells showed a larger enhancement with directed attention to salient inputs (82%) and increased response gain, suggesting that directed attention produces a multiplicative increase in S2 responsiveness. During the postreward period, and also in no-task testing, S1 texture-sensitive cells preserved their sensitivity to SP. In contrast, S2 texture-, but not non-texture-, sensitive cells showed a marked suppression of discharge and decreased gain after the discrimination response. Together, the results support the notion that S2 discharge reflects stimulus parameters in relation to ongoing behavioral demands. The results also support the existence of two independent attentional mechanisms in somatosensory cortex, one generalized (S1 and S2), and the other focused on S2 texture-related cells.