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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
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Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Published on: November 9, 2011
Vision of the body modulates processing in primary somatosensory cortex
Matthew R Longo1, Simone Pernigo, Patrick Haggard
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom. m.longo@bbk.ac.uk
Neuroscience Letters
|December 15, 2010
Summary
Seeing your own body, like a hand, influences how your brain processes touch. This study shows vision directly impacts the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), affecting early sensory processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Somatosensory processing
- Sensory integration
Background:
- Viewing the body can alter somatosensory processing, but the specific brain regions involved are not fully understood.
- Previous research suggests effects on cortical processing of touch and pain, yet the neural locus remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if visual input of the body modulates neural activity within the primary somatosensory cortex (SI).
- To determine if seeing one's own body affects the earliest stages of cortical somatosensory processing.
Main Methods:
- Measured short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) via electrical stimulation of the median nerve.
- Participants viewed their stimulated hand or a non-hand object during SEP recording.
- Analyzed the P27 component of SEPs over contralateral parietal channels.
Main Results:
- Vision of the stimulated hand significantly reduced the P27 component of the SEP.
- This reduction was observed over parietal channels associated with SI processing.
- The effect occurred even when visual information was non-informative regarding the stimulation.
Conclusions:
- Provides direct evidence that visual perception of the body modulates activity in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI).
- Demonstrates that visual input can influence even the initial stages of cortical somatosensory processing.
- Highlights the intricate interplay between different sensory modalities in shaping bodily perception.
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01:23Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
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