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

10.3K
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...
10.3K
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
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

488
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.
488
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

5.8K
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....
5.8K
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

7.5K
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...
7.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Beyond Vision: The Müller-Lyer Illusion Reveals Geometric Biases in Passive Touch and Haptic Exploration.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same author

Development and validation of the transcranial magnetic stimulation reporting assessment tool (TMS-RAT).

Brain stimulation·2026
Same author

How thin is too thin? Evidence from visual aftereffects in body size estimation.

Psychological research·2026
Same author

Precise tactile localization on tools in two dimensions.

iScience·2026
Same author

Embodying the other using the sixth finger illusion.

Cognition·2026
Same author

On the impact of tactile processing on motor cortex: how touch shapes motor behaviour.

Brain structure & function·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K

Reconstructing neural representations of tactile space.

Luigi Tamè1, Raffaele Tucciarelli2, Renata Sadibolova3

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK; School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NP, UK.

Neuroimage
|January 17, 2021
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that early brain regions, specifically the somatosensory and motor cortices, create distorted internal representations of tactile space. These neural maps mirror perceptual distortions, impacting our sense of touch.

Keywords:
Body distortionsMultidimensional scalingMultivariate analysisShape of the skinSomatosensory and motor corticesTactile distance perceptionfMRI

More Related Videos

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
08:05

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms

Published on: February 10, 2016

6.6K
Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

5.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 21, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K
Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
08:05

Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms

Published on: February 10, 2016

6.6K
Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback
05:43

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

5.7K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Somatosensory research
  • Perception science

Background:

  • Psychophysical studies show significant distortions in tactile spatial perception.
  • Tactile space representation is analogous to visual space but experienced through touch.
  • Understanding the neural underpinnings of tactile spatial representation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural basis of tactile spatial representation.
  • To determine if early sensorimotor areas contribute to perceptual distortions of tactile space.
  • To compare neural reconstructions of tactile space with perceptual data.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to analyze brain activity patterns.
  • Tactile stimulation was applied to a 3x3 grid on the hand dorsum.
  • A searchlight approach and multidimensional scaling were employed to reconstruct and analyze neural and perceptual spaces.

Main Results:

  • Neural activity patterns in the primary somatosensory and motor cortices reflected distorted tactile space.
  • The reconstructed neural shape of tactile space matched the perceptually distorted skin space.
  • These findings were observed in the contralateral brain regions.

Conclusions:

  • Early sensorimotor areas play a critical role in shaping the internal representation of tactile space.
  • The brain's representation of tactile space is not a veridical map but incorporates perceptual distortions.
  • This research provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying tactile spatial awareness.