Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

International study of Coronary Microvascular Angina (iCorMicA): a registry-based diagnostic study and nested randomized trial.

American heart journal·2026
Same author

Stratified Medicine with Eplerenone for Myocardial Infarction or Injury and No obstructive Coronary Arteries: A Registry-Based Basket Trial.

American heart journal·2026
Same author

The Deep Learning Revolution in Neuroimaging: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis (2014-2024).

Neuroinformatics·2026
Same author

Non-invasive Electrophysiological Characterization of Distinctive Meditative States in a Yogi during <i>Samaadhi</i>.

International journal of yoga·2026
Same author

Topology Assisted Clustering of Temporal fMRI Brain Networks With Use-Case in Mitigating Non-Neural Multi-Site Variability.

IEEE access : practical innovations, open solutions·2026
Same author

Effects of seasonal factors on brain function: Systematic review and future perspectives.

iScience·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)

Published on: July 30, 2020

Neural processing underlying tactile microspatial discrimination in the blind: a functional magnetic resonance

Randall Stilla1, Rebecca Hanna, Xiaoping Hu

  • 1Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Journal of Vision
|January 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Blindness reshapes brain processing for tactile tasks. Visual cortex areas in the brain are engaged for spatial touch discrimination in blind individuals, influencing neural networks.

More Related Videos

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
10:10

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 30, 2026

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test
06:00

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test

Published on: September 17, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)

Published on: July 30, 2020

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
10:10

Evaluating Tests of Cognition using a Computerized Touch-Sensitive Tablet, Eye Tracking, and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: January 30, 2026

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test
06:00

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test

Published on: September 17, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Processing
  • Neuroplasticity

Background:

  • Blindness significantly impacts neocortical processing, but its effects on purely perceptual tasks remain unclear.
  • Previous research has not definitively established how tactile microspatial discrimination is processed in the absence of vision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms of tactile microspatial discrimination in individuals with blindness using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • To compare brain activity and connectivity during tactile spatial versus temporal discrimination tasks.
  • To explore differences in neural processing between early and late blind individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to measure brain activity.
  • A tactile microspatial discrimination task was contrasted with a tactile temporal discrimination task.
  • Multivariate Granger causality analyses were used to assess effective connectivity between brain regions.

Main Results:

  • A spatially selective network involving frontoparietal and visual cortical regions was identified.
  • Activation in the left primary somatosensory cortex and visual cortical areas correlated with tactile acuity.
  • Effective connectivity analyses revealed key roles for bilateral primary somatosensory cortices and an inferior temporal focus.
  • Visual cortical regions showed significant interactions with each other and with somatosensory regions.
  • Differences in frontoparietal activity and occipital pathways were associated with the age of blindness onset.

Conclusions:

  • Neural processing for tactile microspatial discrimination in the blind differs from that in sighted individuals.
  • Visual cortical regions are actively engaged in tactile spatial processing in the blind.
  • The age of blindness onset influences the neural network organization for tactile discrimination.