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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.
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...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
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: May 10, 2026

Laser-scanning Photostimulation of Optogenetically Targeted Forebrain Circuits
07:43

Laser-scanning Photostimulation of Optogenetically Targeted Forebrain Circuits

Published on: December 27, 2013

The cutaneous rabbit illusion affects human primary sensory cortex somatotopically.

Felix Blankenburg1, Christian C Ruff, Ralf Deichmann

  • 1UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom. f.blankenburg@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk

Plos Biology
|February 24, 2006
PubMed
Summary

The brain creates a tactile illusion, like a hopping rabbit, by activating the primary somatosensory cortex. This illusory perception influences brain activity similarly to actual touch.

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Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Laser-scanning Photostimulation of Optogenetically Targeted Forebrain Circuits
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Published on: December 27, 2013

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity
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Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
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Published on: February 10, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Somatosensory System
  • Perception

Background:

  • The classic cutaneous rabbit illusion demonstrates how the brain can generate a sense of touch in locations without direct physical stimulation.
  • Understanding the neural basis of such illusions is key to deciphering sensory processing and perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the cutaneous rabbit illusion using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • To determine if illusory tactile percepts engage the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and how this activation corresponds to the perceived location.

Main Methods:

  • Participants underwent fMRI scans while experiencing either the illusory tactile sequence or a control stimulation sequence.
  • High-resolution fMRI was employed to precisely map brain activity in response to somatosensory stimulation.
  • Brain activity during illusory stimulation was compared with activity during non-illusory control stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Illusory tactile sequences activated the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (S1) at a location matching the perceived illusory touch on the forearm.
  • The magnitude of S1 activation during the illusion was comparable to activation evoked by veridical stimulation.
  • Areas of premotor and prefrontal cortex were also activated during the illusory condition.

Conclusions:

  • Illusory somatosensory percepts can directly influence primary somatosensory cortex activity.
  • The somatotopic organization of S1 reflects illusory perceptions, demonstrating the brain's active role in constructing sensory reality.
  • These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between physical stimuli and cognitive processes in shaping tactile perception.