Integrating the work of D. Denny-Brown and some of his contemporaries into current studies of the primate motor cortex.

Most contemporary investigators who study the behavioral effects of lesions of the primate motor cortex evaluate their findings in comparison to those of other recent investigators, but not in relation to the experimental neurologists who dominated this field around the mid-part of the 20th century. Utilizing selected recent reports, we demonstrate that these earlier papers, primarily those by D. Denny-Brown, provide valuable insights into the interpretation of some modern studies. Thus, we suggest that contemporary investigators of the primate motor cortex thoroughly review articles by the mid-20th century experimental neurologists. In addition, Denny-Brown and his contemporaries studied the effects of lesions in many other parts of the primate nervous system, and the associated reports are presumably also relevant to current investigations of these areas of the CNS.