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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
Published on: January 22, 2018
An examination of somatosensory area SIII in ferret cortex
W Alex Foxworthy1, M Alex Meredith
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. foxworthywa@vcu.edu
Abstract:
A somatotopically organized region on the suprasylvian gyrus of the ferret was examined using multiunit recordings and anatomical tracer injections. This area, which contains a representation of the face, was bordered by the primary somatosensory area (SI), anteriorly, and by the visually responsive rostral posterior parietal cortex (PPr), posteriorly. Anatomical tracers revealed connections to this region from cortical areas MI, SI, MRSS, PPr, and the thalamic posterior nucleus. These results are consistent with previous work in ferrets as well as with the location, physiology, and connectivity of area SIII in cats. Given its associations, functional properties, location, and homology, it is proposed that this region represents the third cortical somatosensory area (SIII) in ferrets.
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