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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.
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...
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...
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.
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile 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...
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans
04:27

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

Observing touch activates human primary somatosensory cortex.

Elina Pihko1, Cathy Nangini, Veikko Jousmäki

  • 1Brain Research Unit, Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, 00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland. pihko@neuro.hut.fi

The European Journal of Neuroscience
|June 30, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Observing touch activates the human somatosensory cortex. This finding suggests that our brains simulate others' touch experiences, enhancing empathy and social understanding.

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Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans
04:27

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Published on: March 15, 2019

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Social Neuroscience

Background:

  • The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) is crucial for processing tactile information.
  • Understanding how the brain processes observed actions, including touch, is key to social cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the human primary somatosensory cortex (SI) is activated by the mere observation of touch.
  • To explore the neural mechanisms underlying the perception of touch in oneself versus others.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure brain activity in adult subjects.
  • Subjects experienced direct touch (Experienced touch) and observed touch (Observed touch) on their hands.
  • Minimum current estimates analyzed SI cortex activation across time windows post-touch onset.

Main Results:

  • Direct touch strongly activated the contralateral SI cortex within 0-300 ms.
  • Observed touch also elicited significant SI cortex activation, specifically in the 300-600 ms window.
  • Ipsilateral SI activation was observed during experienced touch and persisted into later time windows.

Conclusions:

  • The human SI cortex responds to the observation of touch, not just direct tactile stimulation.
  • This activation suggests that observing touch engages the observer's somatosensory circuitry.
  • This neural mirroring may play a role in understanding and empathizing with others' sensory experiences.