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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 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...
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...
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...
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...
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Studying the Coding Profiles of Somatic Stimulation on Cardiac-locked Neuronal Responses in the Rat Spinal Dorsal Horn
07:12

Studying the Coding Profiles of Somatic Stimulation on Cardiac-locked Neuronal Responses in the Rat Spinal Dorsal Horn

Published on: May 23, 2025

Population coding of somatic sensations.

Qiufu Ma1

  • 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. Qiufu_Ma@dfci.harvard.edu

Neuroscience Bulletin
|April 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The somatic sensory system uses population coding via labeled lines. Disruptions in these lines

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Somatic sensory system research
  • Sensory coding mechanisms

Background:

  • The somatic sensory system processes diverse modalities like touch, pain, itch, and temperature.
  • Population-coding theory, involving interconnected sensory-labeled lines, explains sensory modality coding.
  • Labeled lines are neural circuits activated by specific sensations, modulated by interneurons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the neural network underlying labeled line crosstalk in the somatic sensory system.
  • To explore how interactions between sensory-labeled lines contribute to sensation perception.
  • To investigate the role of labeled line disruptions in pathological sensory experiences.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews the population-coding theory of somatic sensation.

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In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia
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In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia

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New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
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New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Studying the Coding Profiles of Somatic Stimulation on Cardiac-locked Neuronal Responses in the Rat Spinal Dorsal Horn
07:12

Studying the Coding Profiles of Somatic Stimulation on Cardiac-locked Neuronal Responses in the Rat Spinal Dorsal Horn

Published on: May 23, 2025

In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia
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In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia

Published on: February 10, 2023

New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
10:59

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  • It analyzes the structure and function of sensory-labeled lines and their interconnections.
  • It discusses the concept of polymodal sensory fibers and crosstalk among labeled lines.

    • Main Results:

    • Individual sensory-labeled lines, when activated, generate specific sensations.
    • Interactions between labeled lines, through excitation and inhibition, modulate sensory perception.
    • Polymodal fibers and crosstalk are crucial for generating dominant sensations.
    • Pathological conditions disrupt antagonistic interactions, leading to altered sensory experiences (e.g., pain from innocuous stimuli).

    Conclusions:

    • Sensory fibers can operate via distinct labeled lines under normal versus pathological conditions.
    • Understanding labeled line crosstalk is key to developing new treatments for chronic pain and itch.
    • Targeting neural network disruptions may offer therapeutic strategies for sensory disorders.