Comparison between red nucleus and precentral neurons during learned movements in the monkey.

Monkeys were trained to depress a hold key for a period of 2 sec. After this hold period, either a red or a green cue lamp appeared in random sequence. The red lamp required the monkey to move his hand from the hold key to a target button within 1 sec of the cue presentation. The green lamp required continued depression of the hold key for 1 sec following presentation of the cue. Correct performance was reinforced with fruit juice. In comparing poststimulus and peri-response latencies of 48 red nucleus (RN) and 46 percentral gyrus (PG) units related to the arm movement triggered by the red lamp, the onset of activity in most RN units occurred after the onset of activity in most PG neurons. For 48 RN neurons, the peak of the distribution of onset times was shifted 120 msec later than for 46 neurons. This delay between PG and RN is even greater than the delay between PG and postcentral gyrus. It is known that RN receives powerful inputs both from the sensorimotor cortex and from cerebellum--and it seems possible that the activity in RN was dependent on the combined action of these two inputs, with sensory feedback from movement (relayed via postcentral gyrus and/or cerebellum) being one input, and a central program from cerebellum and/or precentral gyrus being the other input.