The reticular formation differentiates heterotopic stimuli.

The role of the reticular formation (RF) in discriminative functions was studied in experiments on anaesthetized cats. In this association, a) the variability of responses in the RF (bipolarly recorded potential gradients - PG) to the same stimuli, and b) the responses of the RF to different (heterotopic) stimuli were recorded. The PG pattern in electrical stimulation of the same source (a nerve, skin) was constant during the time periods studied (several tens of minutes); even when the functional state of the RF was modified with strychnine, the basic characteristics of the responses usually remained intact. The pattern of PG generated by natural stimulation (tapping) was likewise reproduced with exactness at the level of statistical significance. Responses evoked from reciprocally remote receptor areas were manifestly different, at least in one of the depths investigated. The differences in stimulation of topically close areas were small. The results show that the RF, through its reactions, can differentiate heterotopic stimuli.