THE ORGANIZATION OF POSTERIOR PARIETAL CORTICAL AREAS INVOLVED IN DEXTEROUS BEHA

Univ Of Arkansas For Med Scis, Little Rock AR

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Regions of posterior parietal cortex are important in all mammals, including humans, for navigating through, and manipulating objects in, their environment. We propose to characterize and compare the posterior parietal cortex of rats for later comparison with other mammalian species (e.g., opossum, squirrel, ferret, and raccoon), each of which has distinct forelimb morphology related to specific use. The aims of this study are 1) to determine the functional organization of posterior parietal cortex located between somatosensory and visual regions in rats using electrophysiological techniques, and 2) to determine the full extent of corticocortical and thalamocortical connections of these areas using neuroanatomical tracers combined with architectonic techniques. Our results in rats will be relevant to understanding the organization of other species because the organization of all mammalian brains is tightly governed by developmental constraints. A detailed understanding of how these brains areas are organized across mammalian species will allow us to better understand how these important brains regions that govern interactions with objects in the surroundings may be organized in humans. These studies will lay the groundwork for further behavioral studies involving experimental lesions, which will provide useful data for direct comparison to victims of stroke or traumatic brain injury. The proposed research will allow students to study in neurobiology laboratories at both the University of Central Arkansas and the National Center for Toxicological Research;and will establish collaborations between my primarily undergraduate institution and a federal laboratory, within the umbrella of INBRE, thus contributing to the crucial objective of promoting exceptional biomedical research in underrepresented institutions.