Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
04:40
Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
Published on: July 30, 2020
Central mechanisms of tactile shape perception.
1Department of Neuroscience and the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, The Johns Hopkins University, 338 Krieger Hall, Baltimore, MD 21218, United States. Steven.Hsiao@jhu.edu
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|September 24, 2008
Summary
Tactile processing of 3D shapes differs from 2D forms, involving distinct brain areas and sensory integration. Specialized receptive fields in the SII cortex are key to tactile object recognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Somatosensory processing
- Tactile perception
Background:
- Cortical mechanisms for 2D form and motion processing are similar across touch and vision.
- However, 3D shape processing exhibits distinct neural pathways in the somatosensory system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differences in cortical processing between 2D and 3D shape perception via touch.
- To explore the role of specific neural structures, like receptive fields in the SII cortex, in tactile object recognition.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of neuronal receptive fields (RFs) in different somatosensory cortical areas (SI areas 3b and 1, and SII).
- Examination of the integration of cutaneous and proprioceptive inputs for 3D shape processing.
- Investigating how hand conformation influences neuronal sensitivity to tactile stimuli.
Main Results:
- 2D form and motion are processed in SI cortex (areas 3b and 1) by neurons with specific RF subregions.
- 3D shape processing occurs in area 2 and SII, integrating cutaneous and proprioceptive information.
- SII neurons exhibit complex RFs with heterogeneous structures, and their sensitivity varies with hand posture.
Conclusions:
- The distinct processing of 3D shapes in SII, relying on integrated sensory inputs and complex RFs, suggests a specialized mechanism.
- The hypothesized role of these complex RFs as the basis for tactile object recognition warrants further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Somatosensation
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.
01:11Sensory 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...
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...
01:27Tactile and Chemical Senses
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
01:14Motor 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.
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.
01:21Gestalt Principles of Perception
Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...
01:29Overview 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...
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...