Chemoarchitectonics and corticocortical terminations within the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey: Evidence for subdivisions of superior temporal polysensory cortex

Abstract

Cortex of the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (STS) in macaque monkeys, termed the superior temporal polysensory (STP) region, corresponds largely to architectonic area TPO and is connectionally distinct from adjacent visual areas. To investigate whether or not the STP region contains separate subdivisions, immunostaining for parvalbumin and neurofilament protein (using the SMI-32 antibody) was compared with patterns of corticocortical terminations in the STS. Chemoarchitectonic results provided evidence for three caudal-to-rostral subdivisions: TPOc, TPOi, and TPOr. Area TPOc was characterized by patchy staining for parvalbumin and SMI-32 in cortical layers IV/III and III, respectively. Area TPOi had more uniform chemoarchitectonic staining, whereas area TPOr had a thicker layer IV than TPOi. The connectional results showed prefrontal cortex in the location of the frontal eye fields (area 8) and dorsal area 46 projected in a columnar pattern to all cortical layers of area TPOc, to layer IV of TPOi, and in a columnar fashion, with a moderate increase in density in layer IV, to TPOr. In TPOc, columns of frontal connections showed a periodicity similar to that of the SMI-32 staining. The caudal inferior parietal lobule (area 7a) and superior temporal gyrus projected to each subdivision of area TPO, displaying either panlaminar or fourth-layer terminations. In addition to STP cortex, parvalbumin and SMI-32 immunostaining allowed identification of caudal visual areas of the STS, including MT, MST, FST, and V4t. These areas received first- and sixth-layer projections from prefrontal cortex and area 7a.

Laminar cortical dynamics of cognitive and motor working memory, sequence learning and performance: Toward a unified theory of how the cerebral cortex works.

“…Confirmation of this pattern of hierarchical connectivity between the posterior parietal lobes and the lateral prefrontal cortex has been previously reported (Goldman-Rakic, 1987). Similar feedback pathways were reported to exist in the projections from prefrontal area 8 to posterior visual areas MT and MST (Cusick, Seltzer, Cola & Griggs, 1995). These frameworks of organization are generally consistent with the connectivity between the hierarchical layers of cognitive working memory in the LIST PARSE model (Figures 1, 2, and 10b).…”

Processing social aspects of human gaze: A combined fMRI-DTI study

“…Finally, both left and right pSTS were connected with posterior parts of the ipsilateral IPL. This accords with tracer studies in monkeys (Cusick et al, 1995) and the notion that the posterior parietal cortex is involved in visuospatial processing (Orban et al, 2006). Future studies should address the question whether these connections might subserve interactions between pSTS and parietal systems that mediate non-social effects of biological motion on visual attention Vuilleumier, 2002).…”

Saccade-Related Information in the Superior Temporal Motion Complex: Quantitative Functional Mapping in the Monkey

“…Because areas V5/MT and MST are known to represent the contralateral half of visual space (Dubner and Zeki, 1971;Desimone and Ungerleider, 1986;Maunsell and Van Essen, 1987), we analyzed the STs contralateral to the saccades executed by the animal. (Cusick et al, 1995); 175 mm 2 (Desimone and Ungerleider, 1986)]. Areas V5/MT in the posterior bank, MST in the anterior bank, and FST in the fundus of the STs were activated in both monkeys executing Sl (Fig.…”

“…It was characterized by the presence of a prominent layer VI, clearly distinct from the relatively poor layer V (Seltzer and Pandya, 1978;Hof and Morrison, 1995). We used the cytoarchitectonic borders of the MC, surface landmarks, and previously reported maps (Gattass and Gross, 1981;Desimone and Ungerleider, 1986;Boussaoud et al, 1990Boussaoud et al, , 1991Cusick et al, 1995;Lewis and Van Essen, 2000) to identify the STs areas we analyzed.…”