Changes in cortical field potentials during learning processes of go/no-go reaction time hand movement with tone discrimination in the monkey.

Field potentials were recorded with electrodes implanted in various cortical areas while a monkey acquired a task of go/no-go reaction time hand movement with discrimination between tone stimuli of different frequencies. After a few weeks of training, a surface-negative, depth-positive (s-N, d-P) potential (no-go potential) emerged in the dorsal bank of the principal sulcus. As the potential increased in size in 1-3 months, the monkey gradually discriminated between go and no-go stimuli. The no-go potential is considered to be related to judgement not to move and suppression of motor execution. In the superior temporal gyrus, a s-N, d-P potential at a shorter latency than the no-go potential augmented in size on both go and no-go trials, as the monkey learned the discrimination task. The s-N, d-P potential in this gyrus may reflect an information processing prior to the discrimination in the prefrontal cortex.