Wireless recording from unrestrained monkeys reveals motor goal encoding beyond immediate reach in frontoparietal cortex.

System neuroscience of motor cognition regarding the space beyond immediate reach mandates free, yet experimentally controlled movements. We present an experimental environment (Reach Cage) and a versatile visuo-haptic interaction system () for investigating goal-directed whole-body movements of unrestrained monkeys. Two rhesus monkeys conducted instructed walk-and-reach movements towards targets flexibly positioned in the cage.

Modified toolbox for optogenetics in the nonhuman primate.

Attracted by the appealing advantages of optogenetics, many nonhuman primate labs are attempting to incorporate this technique in their experiments. Despite some reported successes by a few groups, many still find it difficult to develop a reliable way to transduce cells in the monkey brain and subsequently monitor light-induced neuronal activity. Here, we describe a methodology that we have developed and successfully deployed on a regular basis with multiple monkeys.

Optogenetically induced spatiotemporal gamma oscillations and neuronal spiking activity in primate motor cortex.

Transient gamma-band (40-80 Hz) spatiotemporal patterns are hypothesized to play important roles in cortical function. Here we report the direct observation of gamma oscillations as spatiotemporal waves induced by targeted optogenetic stimulation, recorded by intracortical multichannel extracellular techniques in macaque monkeys during their awake resting states. Microelectrode arrays integrating an optical fiber at their center were chronically implanted in primary motor (M1) and ventral premotor (PMv) cortices of two subjects.