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Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

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 Cortex01:14

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 Cortex01:21

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 System01:11

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...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

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: Jun 8, 2026

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
08:05

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms

Published on: February 10, 2016

Face representation in the human primary somatosensory cortex.

Binh T Nguyen1, Tuan D Tran, Minoru Hoshiyama

  • 1Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan. binh@nips.ac.jp

Neuroscience Research
|September 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) devotes a large area to lips but a small region between the thumb and lip areas for facial skin. This study maps facial skin representation in the human SI.

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
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Published on: February 10, 2016

Imaging Neural Activity in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex Using Thy1-GCaMP6s Transgenic Mice
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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Somatosensory System

Background:

  • The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) is crucial for processing tactile information.
  • Understanding the precise topographical organization of facial representations within the SI is essential for neuroscience research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and map the representation of facial skin areas within the human primary somatosensory cortex (SI).
  • To determine the relative spatial organization of facial tactile representations compared to other body parts like the thumb.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded magnetic fields using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
  • Applied tactile stimulation via air pressure to six facial points (forehead, cheek, nose, chin, lips) and the thumb.
  • Analyzed the location of evoked magnetic fields in the SI.

Main Results:

  • Facial skin areas (forehead, cheek, nose, chin) were located in the SI between the representations of the thumb and lower lip.
  • No significant differences in SI location were found among the six stimulated facial points.
  • The lip representation occupied a disproportionately large area within the SI compared to other facial skin areas.

Conclusions:

  • The human SI dedicates a substantial area to lip representation, with other facial skin areas clustered in a smaller region between the thumb and lip representations.
  • This study provides novel insights into the somatotopic organization of the face within the human SI.