Sensory maps in the claustrum of the cat

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Abstract
The claustrum is a telencephalic cell group possessing widespread reciprocal connections with the neocortex. In this regard, it bears a unique and striking resemblance to the thalamus. The anatomical ordering of pathways linking the claustrum with sensory areas of the cat neocortex was examined and the functional organization of claustral sensory zones were electrophysiologically studied. Discrete visual and somatosensory subdivisions were found in the claustrum interconnected with the corresponding primary sensory areas of the neocortex. The respective zones contained orderly retinotopic and somatotopic maps. A 3rd claustral region receiving fiber projections from the auditory cortex in or near area Ep contained neurons responsive to auditory stimulation. Loops connecting sensory areas of the neocortex with satellite zones in the claustrum apparently contribute to the early processing of exteroceptive information by the forebrain.