The effects of cerebral sensory and motor cortical lesions on conditioned tactile placing in cats with pyramid section.

Cats after unilateral bulbar pyramid section showed permanent loss of tactile placing in the contralateral limbs. However, the cats could be trained to place the forelimb following light touch in a conditioning situation with food as a reward. Subsequent unilateral or bilateral cerebral cortical lesions involving sensory and/or motor areas did not abolish this conditioned response. Since these cortical areas are essential to reflex tactile placing, the results indicate that reflex and conditioned responses can be mediated differently at the cerebral cortical level.