Operant Conditioning of Cortical Unit Activity

The activity of single neurons in precentral cortex of unanesthetized monkeys (Macaca mulatta) was conditioned by reinforcing high rates of neuronal discharge with delivery of a food pellet. Auditory or visual feedback of unit firing rates was usually provided in addition to food reinforcement. After several training sessions, monkeys could increase the activity of newly isolated cells by 50 to 500 percent above rates before reinforcement.