Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test
Published on: September 17, 2021
Somatosensory processing of the tongue in humans
Kiwako Sakamoto1, Hiroki Nakata, Masato Yumoto
1Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Japan.
Abstract:
We review research on somatosensory (tactile) processing of the tongue based on data obtained using non-invasive neurophysiological and neuroimaging methods. Technical difficulties in stimulating the tongue, due to the noise elicited by the stimulator, the fixation of the stimulator, and the vomiting reflex, have necessitated the development of specialized devices. In this article, we show the brain activity relating to somatosensory processing of the tongue evoked by such devices. More recently, the postero-lateral part of the tongue has been stimulated, and the brain response compared with that on stimulation of the antero-lateral part of the tongue. It is likely that a difference existed in somatosensory processing of the tongue, particularly around primary somatosensory cortex, Brodmann area 40, and the anterior cingulate cortex.
Related Concept Videos
Taste Buds and Receptors
Gustation
The Physiology of Taste
The Tongue and Taste Buds
Somatosensation
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
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...

