Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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.

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...

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,...

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

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...

Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology

Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology

Early Ischemia and Ionic ImbalanceWithin minutes of spinal cord injury, a secondary cascade begins, progressing over hours to weeks. Vascular damage reduces blood flow, causing ischemia and mitochondrial dysfunction. ATP depletion leads to ion pump failure, membrane depolarization, sodium influx, potassium efflux, and water accumulation, resulting in cellular swelling. Increased intracellular calcium further disrupts mitochondria and accelerates cellular injury.Excitotoxicity and Neuronal...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Neural dynamics of social verb processing: an MEG study.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2024

Same author

Generalized and visual anosognosia, Anosodiaphoria after bifrontal injury: symptom length and cognitive outcomes after one year from first report documented.

Brain injury·2024

Same author

Generalized anosognosia, anosodiaphoria, and visual hallucinations with bilateral enucleation after severe bifrontal brain injury: a case report describing similarities with and differences from Anton syndrome.

Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology·2024

Same author

Non-Invasive Mapping of the Neuronal Networks of Language.

Brain sciences·2023

Same author

MEG language mapping using a novel automatic ECD algorithm in comparison with MNE, dSPM, and DICS beamformer.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2023

Same author

Deep Learning Provides Exceptional Accuracy to ECoG-Based Functional Language Mapping for Epilepsy Surgery.

Frontiers in neuroscience·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Compensatory Limb Use and Behavioral Assessment of Motor Skill Learning Following Sensorimotor Cortex Injury in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Stroke

Compensatory Limb Use and Behavioral Assessment of Motor Skill Learning Following Sensorimotor Cortex Injury in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Stroke

Published on: July 10, 2014

Aberrant cortical functionality and somatosensory deficits after stroke.

Eduardo M Castillo¹, Corwin Boake, Joshua I Breier

¹Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. eduardo.m.castillo@uth.tmc.edu

Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society

|May 13, 2008

Summary

Stroke-induced somatosensory deficits are linked to specific brain activity patterns. Lack of primary somatosensory cortex (SI) activation and altered slow oscillatory activity correlate with severe touch perception loss after stroke.

More Related Videos

Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke

Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke

Published on: February 22, 2020

Cognitive Function and Upper Limb Rehabilitation Training Post-Stroke Using a Digital Occupational Training System

Cognitive Function and Upper Limb Rehabilitation Training Post-Stroke Using a Digital Occupational Training System

Published on: December 29, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Compensatory Limb Use and Behavioral Assessment of Motor Skill Learning Following Sensorimotor Cortex Injury in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Stroke

Compensatory Limb Use and Behavioral Assessment of Motor Skill Learning Following Sensorimotor Cortex Injury in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Stroke

Published on: July 10, 2014

Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke

Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke

Published on: February 22, 2020

Cognitive Function and Upper Limb Rehabilitation Training Post-Stroke Using a Digital Occupational Training System

Cognitive Function and Upper Limb Rehabilitation Training Post-Stroke Using a Digital Occupational Training System

Published on: December 29, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Neurology
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

Stroke frequently causes somatosensory deficits, impacting touch perception.
The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) is crucial for processing tactile information.
Understanding the neurophysiological basis of these deficits is vital for rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between somatosensory cortex functionality and varying degrees of post-stroke sensory loss.
To identify specific magnetoencephalography (MEG) patterns associated with different severities of somatosensory deficit.

Main Methods:

Utilized high-resolution MRI and whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 19 postacute stroke patients and 8 controls.
Recorded somatosensory-evoked fields and spontaneous slow oscillatory activity.
Quantified SI activation amplitude and delta dipole density (DDD) in postcentral areas.

Main Results:

Severe somatosensory deficit correlated with absent SI activation and increased postcentral DDD asymmetry toward the affected hemisphere.
Moderate deficits showed postcentral DDD asymmetry but preserved SI activation amplitudes.
No significant differences in SI activation or DDD were observed in stroke patients without sensory deficits compared to controls.

Conclusions:

Absence of SI activation and altered spontaneous slow oscillatory activity in postcentral areas are neurophysiological markers of somatosensory deficit post-stroke.
These findings highlight specific functional changes in the somatosensory cortex related to sensory impairment severity.
MEG can reveal distinct neural correlates of somatosensory dysfunction following stroke.