Functional interneuronal connections in the motor cortex of alert and anesthetized cats

Neuronal interconnections in the motor cortex of alert and anesthetized cats were investigated. It is shown that the number of connections between neurons did not decrease within microareas of the cortex during deepening of anesthesia, but their reorganization occurred in the form of leveling of the input and output properties of all cells of the microareas. The number of interneuronal connections of various microareas with deepening of anesthesia considerably decreased and those neurons which were relatively inert in the cortex of alert cats were considerably activated during restructuring of the functional interconnections between microareas. The results of the investigations permitted the assumption of differentiated participation of neurons of the cat motor cortex generating spikes of various amplitude in information processing at the level of microareas when alert and under anesthesia.