J. Seal et al., A CRITICAL REEXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPT OF FUNCTION WITHIN THE NEOCORTEX OF THE MONKEY, Human movement science, 11(1-2), 1992, pp. 47-58
Combined neurophysiological/psychophysiological experiments have been
applied to the study of how motor acts are planned. The justification
for these experiments was the structural isomorphism between theoretic
al stage models of information processing and the supposed functional
specialization of cortical areas. However, recent developments in both
fields now suggest that the assumptions on which this isomorphism is
based may be erroneous. Describing the results of our own combined exp
eriments, we attempt to show how the concept of function within the ce
rebral cortex needs to be revised. We present new interpretations of d
ata from single neuron recording experiments in three cortical areas w
hich challenge the traditional idea of structure/function. In its plac
e, we propose the hypothesis of a continuum of function going from sen
sory input to motor output.