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

42.0K
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.
42.0K
Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay01:27

Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay

2.9K
The thalamus, often called “the gateway to the cerebral cortex,” is vital in processing and directing sensory and motor signals throughout the brain. Almost all inputs destined for the cerebral cortex, except for olfactory signals, are relayed through the thalamus. The thalamus is  a sophisticated relay station, channeling information from various brain regions to the cerebral cortex, as well as a filter, prioritizing certain signals over others based on current physiological...
2.9K
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

7.4K
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...
7.4K
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

1.8K
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...
1.8K
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

475
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.
475
Thermosensation01:43

Thermosensation

33.0K
Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
33.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Cognitive perception of social stress as a critical mechanistic control of mood and mood-related brain signals.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

The Identification of Haptic Invariants in Humans and Their Applications to Robotics.

Multisensory research·2025
Same author

An Illusion of Tactile Slip.

Multisensory research·2025
Same author

D-amphetamine alters the dynamic ECoG activity distribution patterns in the rat neocortex.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

High-dimensional cortical signals reveal rich bimodal and working memory-like representations among S1 neuron populations.

Communications biology·2024
Same author

Local field potential sharp waves with diversified impact on cortical neuronal encoding of haptic input.

Scientific reports·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 15, 2025

In Vivo Intracerebral Stereotaxic Injections for Optogenetic Stimulation of Long-Range Inputs in Mouse Brain Slices
09:07

In Vivo Intracerebral Stereotaxic Injections for Optogenetic Stimulation of Long-Range Inputs in Mouse Brain Slices

Published on: September 20, 2019

11.8K

Widespread Decoding of Tactile Input Patterns Among Thalamic Neurons.

Anders Wahlbom1, Jonas M D Enander1, Henrik Jörntell1

  • 1Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
|March 5, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Tactile information is widely distributed throughout the rat thalamus. Most thalamic neurons, regardless of location, can decode specific tactile inputs, suggesting broad availability in thalamocortical circuits.

Keywords:
information processingintegrative neurophysiologyneurophysiologytactilethalamus

More Related Videos

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K
A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS
19:44

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS

Published on: June 3, 2009

14.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 15, 2025

In Vivo Intracerebral Stereotaxic Injections for Optogenetic Stimulation of Long-Range Inputs in Mouse Brain Slices
09:07

In Vivo Intracerebral Stereotaxic Injections for Optogenetic Stimulation of Long-Range Inputs in Mouse Brain Slices

Published on: September 20, 2019

11.8K
Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.1K
A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS
19:44

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS

Published on: June 3, 2009

14.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Somatosensation
  • Thalamocortical circuitry

Background:

  • Cuneothalamic projections typically target the ventroposterior lateral (VPL) nucleus in rats.
  • Cortical neurons processing tactile input are broadly distributed across the neocortex.
  • Cortical projections back to the thalamus suggest widespread tactile information storage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distribution of tactile information processing across the entire thalamus.
  • To determine if thalamic neurons, irrespective of location, can decode tactile inputs.
  • To explore the relationship between response latency and decoding performance in thalamic neurons.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an electrotactile interface to generate reproducible tactile afferent spatiotemporal activation patterns from digit 2.
  • Recorded neuronal activity throughout widespread regions of the anesthetized rat thalamus.
  • Applied decoding analysis to assess the ability of thalamic neurons to identify specific tactile inputs.

Main Results:

  • A majority of thalamic neurons responded to single-pulse tactile inputs.
  • Thalamic neurons demonstrated above-chance decoding performance for specific tactile stimulation patterns.
  • Neurons with shorter response latencies (presumed direct cuneate input) were often better decoders.
  • Neurons with longer response latencies also showed decoding capabilities, albeit typically at lower performance levels.

Conclusions:

  • Tactile information from specific skin areas is widely accessible within the thalamocortical circuitry.
  • Widespread distribution of tactile information processing challenges traditional topographical models of thalamic organization.
  • Thalamic neurons play a significant role in processing and relaying detailed tactile information throughout the brain.