Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
12:33
Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
Published on: December 31, 2013
Tactile expectation modulates pre-stimulus beta-band oscillations in human sensorimotor cortex
Freek van Ede1, Ole Jensen, Eric Maris
1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Neuroimage
|March 2, 2010
Summary
Anticipating tactile events involves brain oscillations before stimulation. This beta oscillation modulation in somatosensory cortex prepares the brain for incoming sensations, even when not actively attending.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Neuronal oscillations are theorized to be crucial for top-down expectation processes.
- Understanding the neural basis of tactile expectation is key to deciphering sensory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pre-stimulus modulation of neuronal oscillations in human somatosensory cortex during tactile expectation.
- To determine if tactile expectation involves changes in brain activity prior to sensory input.
Main Methods:
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to record brain activity.
- A bimodal attention paradigm with predictable tactile and auditory stimuli was employed.
- Lateralized oscillatory activity was analyzed under attended and non-attended conditions.
Main Results:
- A lateralized modulation of beta band oscillations was observed prior to expected tactile stimuli.
- This anticipatory modulation occurred regardless of whether the tactile stream was attended.
- Attention amplified the observed modulation of beta oscillations.
Conclusions:
- Pre-stimulus suppression of beta oscillations in somatosensory cortex prepares the brain for tactile events.
- Perception is an active process initiated before sensory stimulation.
- This modulation may reflect a mechanism to enhance neuronal processing efficacy for expected stimuli.
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.
01:23Somatosensory, 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...