Sensory interactions in the anterior ectosylvian cortex of cats

Sensory interactions, namely, the responses of single cells to stimulations originating from the two sides of the body or from the two visual fields, or from more than one sensory modality (namely, visual, auditory and somatosensory), were evaluated within the anterior ectosylvian cortex (AEC) of cats. Results showed that responses of single neurons to a stimulus of one modality can be enhanced or inhibited by the presentation of another stimulus of either the same or another modality. This facilitatory or inhibitory modulation seems to depend upon temporal and/or spatial relationships between the stimuli. These results, taken together with those previously obtained in our laboratory and by others, suggest that neurons in the AEC may be involved in integrating inputs from various modalities and possibly linking sensory input with action.