Encoding of limb state by single neurons in the cuneate nucleus of awake monkeys

Why is it important to study the cuneate nucleus/proprioception in the brain? In this podcast authors, Dr. Lee Miller and Mr. Christopher Versteeg talk with our guest host, Associate Editor Professor Robert Brownstone, about their recently published article on “Encoding of limb state by single neurons in the cuneate nucleus of awake monkeys.” The cuneate nucleus (CN) is the somatosensory gateway into the brain, and only recently has it been possible to record these signals from an awake animal. The authors recorded single CN neurons in monkeys and found proprioceptive CN neurons appear to receive input from very few muscles. In addition, the sensitivity of proprioceptive CN neurons to movement changes reliably during reaching, relative to passive arm perturbations. Sensitivity is generally increased, but not exclusively so, as though CN "spotlights" critical proprioceptive information during reaching. Is the CN affected by different receptor origins of signals and/or different muscles?   Listen and find out. 

Christopher Versteeg, Joshua M. Rosenow, Sliman J. Bensmaia, and Lee E. Miller

Read the article here: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00568.2020