부산대학교 도서관

In this chapter, the authors describe a hypothesis on the functional organization of the thalamocortical and corticostriatal circuits of early mammals, constrained by inferences about ancestral amniotes and studies in modern mammalian species. Following the work of Graziano and others, they interpret the organization of sensorimotor neocortex in terms of “action maps” adapted to the needs of specific aspects of an animal’s behavioral repertoire, such as searching, feeding, handling, and defensive actions. The authors propose that selection between these activity types (e.g., search versus feed) is governed by the basal ganglia, while the particular details of actions within a type of activity (e.g., direction of locomotion) are selected within the cortical action map specialized for that activity. This proposal is supported by neuro-anatomical data from a wide range of species, as well as neural recording, microstimulation, and inactivation studies in rodents and primates, and leads to some testable predictions.