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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.
Sensory Modalities01:15

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
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...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Sensation01:21

Sensation

Sensory receptors are specialized neurons that respond to specific types of external stimuli, initiating the process known as sensation. This occurs when sensory input, such as light entering the eye, is detected by these receptors, causing chemical changes in the cells of the retina. These cells then convert the sensory stimulus into action potentials that are transmitted to the central nervous system, a process termed transduction.
Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...

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Related Experiment Video

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Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers
09:34

Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers

Published on: August 15, 2019

Sensory change following motor learning.

Andrew A G Mattar1, Sazzad M Nasir, Mohammad Darainy

  • 1Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Progress in Brain Research
|July 12, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Motor learning induces lasting sensory perception changes. Studies show that adapting movements alters how we sense touch and speech sounds, suggesting a deep link between motor control and perception.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Sensory Perception

Background:

  • Motor learning is crucial for adapting movements to new environments.
  • The relationship between motor adaptation and sensory perception remains incompletely understood.
  • Previous research suggests potential links, but direct evidence is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of motor learning on somatosensory and speech sound perception.
  • To determine if observed perceptual changes are a direct consequence of motor adaptation.
  • To explore the bidirectional influence between motor and sensory systems.

Main Methods:

  • Study 1: Participants learned to control a robotic device applying forces to the hand during arm movements, assessing somatosensory perception changes.
  • Study 2: Participants adapted speech motor control to compensate for robotic jaw loads, measuring speech sound perception shifts.
  • Control groups and non-adapting participants were included in both studies to isolate the effects of motor learning.

Main Results:

  • Force field learning in Study 1 led to persistent changes in somatosensory perception of limb position lasting over 24 hours.
  • Speech motor learning in Study 2 resulted in a consistent shift in speech sound perception among adapted participants.
  • Control subjects and those who did not adapt showed no significant perceptual shifts, confirming the link to motor learning.

Conclusions:

  • Motor learning induces persistent, measurable changes in sensory perception.
  • These findings highlight a strong interplay between motor and sensory systems.
  • The results suggest that motor adaptation recalibrates sensory processing, impacting how we perceive the world.