This laboratory is interested in the processing of sensory stimuli in the tactile area of cortex. We are studying how cortical neurons represent the sensory environment. Our experimental model is the vibrissal system of albino rat. Within the tactile area, the vibrissae are represented in an orderly topographic manner.
Neurons communicate with small electrical impulses called action potentials.
We record these impulses using tiny electrodes placed in the cortical tissue of deeply anesthetized subjects. This figure shows many superimposed events recorded by one electrode. The horizontal axis is 'time' and the vertical axis is 'potential'. Each event lasts about 600-1000 microseconds. We have developed techniques to discriminate the action potentials of separate neurons.