An electrosensory area in the telencephalon of the little skate, Raja erinacea.

On the basis of evoked potential and multiple unit responses we identified a pallial electrosensory area that extends throughout the central one-third of the skate telencephalon. This electrosensory area coincides in its mediolateral and rostrocaudal extent with an area of visual responsiveness. Throughout the area peak visual activity is 250-500 micrometers superficial to the maximum electrosensory responses. However, both electrosensory and visual areas appear to be located within the same pallial cell group. The depth and proximity of this pallial area to the lateral ventricle and medial forebrain bundle suggest that it is a subdivision of the medial pallium. Injection of HRP into the area from a glass microelectrode following recordings revealed retrogradely labeled cells in 3 separate diencephalic nuclei, the largest of which, the lateral posterior nucleus, also is responsive to electrosensory stimuli.