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Hemispheric lateralization of somatosensory processing.

R C Coghill1, I Gilron, M J Iadarola

  • 1Pain and Neurosensory Mechanisms Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. rcoghill@wfubmc.edu

Journal of Neurophysiology
|June 2, 2001
PubMed
Summary
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The right brain hemisphere plays a key role in processing touch and pain information from the body. This right-lateralized somatosensory processing may explain why injuries to the right brain cause left-sided neglect.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • Somatosensory information is typically processed contralaterally in the brain.
  • Right posterior parietal cortex lesions cause tactile neglect, suggesting right-hemisphere dominance for some somatosensory functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate right hemispheric lateralization in somatosensory processing.
  • To determine if pain intensity influences the lateralization of somatosensory processing.

Main Methods:

  • Used H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET) to measure cerebral blood flow.
  • Applied thermal stimulation (innocuous and painful) to subjects' left and right arms.
  • Analyzed brain activation patterns related to pain intensity and stimulation side.

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Main Results:

  • Pain intensity-dependent activation occurred bilaterally in somatosensory cortices, thalamus, and anterior cingulate cortex.
  • No hemispheric lateralization was found for pain intensity-dependent processing.
  • Right-lateralized activation was observed in the thalamus, inferior parietal cortex, and prefrontal cortex for both stimulus types, irrespective of stimulation side.

Conclusions:

  • Somatosensory information processing involves right-lateralized systems, similar to visual and auditory spatial processing.
  • This right-lateralized processing can explain left somatosensory neglect following right-hemisphere brain injury.