STUDIES IN SOMESTHESIS. II. ROLE OF SOMATIC SENSORY AREAS I AND II IN ROUGHNESS DISCRIMINATION IN CAT

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Abstract
Four cats were trained to discriminate various grades of roughness (sandpaper) in an alley-type discrimination apparatus. Following the learning they were subjected to 1-stage bilateral cortical ablations as follows. Removal of somatic areas I and II resulted in a permanent abolition of the capacity to make both fine and coarse roughness discriminations. Ablation of somatic area I alone produced a slight impairment of coarse discrimination. Bilateral lesions of somatic area II severely impaired fine roughness discrimination. Large control lesions in the occipital area of the cortex produced no demonstrable effect.