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Somatosensation

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Functional Mapping with Simultaneous MEG and EEG

Published on: June 14, 2010

Multisensory auditory-somatosensory interactions in early cortical processing revealed by high-density electrical

J J Foxe¹, I A Morocz, M M Murray

¹Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Program in Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, 10962, Orangeburg, NY, USA. foxe@nki.rfmh.org

Brain Research. Cognitive Brain Research

|September 9, 2000

Summary

Multisensory integration occurs early in the brain, even in areas once thought to process only one sense. This study reveals auditory-somatosensory interactions happening around 50 ms after stimulation.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Multisensory Processing
Human Electrophysiology

Background:

Traditional views suggested early cortical regions were unisensory.
Understanding the timing and location of multisensory interactions is crucial.
Auditory and somatosensory pathways are key sensory channels.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the temporal dynamics of multisensory interactions.
To map the scalp topography of auditory-somatosensory (AS) interactions.
To determine if early cortical areas integrate multisensory information.

Main Methods:

Recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from 64 scalp electrodes.
Applied auditory-alone, somatosensory-alone, and simultaneous AS stimulation.
Analyzed scalp current density (SCD) topographies for interaction effects.

Main Results:

Auditory-somatosensory interaction was observed over the central/postcentral scalp.
Interaction effects began approximately 50 ms after stimulus presentation.
The timing and spatial distribution suggest early cortical integration.

Conclusions:

Multisensory integration occurs earlier in the cortical hierarchy than previously thought.
Traditionally unisensory brain regions show evidence of multisensory processing.
Findings challenge existing models of sensory processing specialization.