Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

42.1K
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.
42.1K
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

10.4K
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...
10.4K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:24

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

1.6K
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...
1.6K
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

1.9K
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...
1.9K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

5.9K
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....
5.9K
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

495
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.
495

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Minimizing command timing variability is a key factor in skilled actions.

Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society·2026
Same author

Consensus Paper: Models of Cerebellar Functions.

Cerebellum (London, England)·2026
Same author

Investigating the Effect of Mechanical Adaptation on Mid-Air Ultrasound Vibrotactile Stimuli.

IEEE transactions on haptics·2025
Same author

Stopping Muscle Contractions and Relaxations during Action Inhibition Involves Global and Targeted Control Dependent on Muscle State.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2025
Same author

A Novel Assessment Reveals Motor Variability as a Sensitive Marker of Neurological Development, Decline, and Plasticity.

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society·2025
Same author

Cortical activations induced by electrical versus vibrotactile finger stimulation using EEG.

NeuroImage·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
07:20

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

14.0K

Sensorimotor signals underlying space perception: An investigation based on self-touch.

Antonio Cataldo1, Lucile Dupin2, Hiroaki Gomi3

  • 1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK; Institute of Philosophy, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, UK; Cognition, Values and Behaviour, Ludwig Maximilian University, Gabelsbergerstraße 62, 80333, München, Germany.

Neuropsychologia
|December 21, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Motor signals strongly influence tactile spatial perception, even when sensory information is decoupled. However, sensory feedback also modulates the perception of movement, suggesting a more complex interaction than classical theories propose.

Keywords:
Motor dominanceSelf-touchSensorimotor interactionSpace perceptionVoluntary action

More Related Videos

Visualization Method for Proprioceptive Drift on a 2D Plane Using Support Vector Machine
07:05

Visualization Method for Proprioceptive Drift on a 2D Plane Using Support Vector Machine

Published on: October 27, 2016

9.4K
Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 24, 2025

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
07:20

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

14.0K
Visualization Method for Proprioceptive Drift on a 2D Plane Using Support Vector Machine
07:05

Visualization Method for Proprioceptive Drift on a 2D Plane Using Support Vector Machine

Published on: October 27, 2016

9.4K
Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Perception

Background:

  • Spatial perception is a fundamental aspect of psychology, with classical theories positing that efferent motor signals determine the perception of spatial extent.
  • Self-touch scenarios, like stroking one's own arm, normally exhibit a strong correlation between motor commands and tactile sensations, making them ideal for studying spatial perception.
  • Classical 'local sign' theories predict motor signals influence spatial judgments, but not vice versa, especially when motor and sensory information are artificially separated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interplay between motor commands and tactile feedback in spatial perception by decoupling these normally correlated signals.
  • To quantify the relative contributions of tactile, kinaesthetic, and motor information to the judgment of spatial extent.
  • To test whether motor signals dominate tactile perception or if sensory feedback also influences motor perception.

Main Methods:

  • A self-touch paradigm using coupled robots in a master-slave configuration to dissociate motor and tactile extents.
  • Manipulation of sensorimotor gains to create tactile stimulation shorter, equal, or longer than the causative movement.
  • Participants judged either the extent of their movement or the extent of the tactile stimulation received.

Main Results:

  • Perception of tactile extent was significantly biased by the amplitude of the performed movement, indicating motor influence.
  • Tactile stimulation also influenced the perceived extent of movement, demonstrating a bidirectional effect.
  • The influence of movement on tactile perception was stronger for actively generated movements compared to passive ones.

Conclusions:

  • Motor signals play a dominant role in constructing spatial percepts, particularly when the natural coupling between motor and sensory information is disrupted.
  • While motor signals dominate, sensory feedback is not negligible and also modulates the perception of movement extent.
  • The findings challenge the absolute dominance predicted by classical theories, suggesting a more nuanced interaction in sensorimotor integration for spatial perception.