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

36.7K
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.
36.7K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:24

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

559
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...
559
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

4.0K
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....
4.0K
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

5.5K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
5.5K
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

4.6K
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...
4.6K
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

3.1K
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...
3.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Altered abdominal spatial mapping despite preserved tactile acuity in adolescents with Restrictive Eating Disorders.

Acta psychologica·2026
Same author

Human Steering Control Under Unpredictable Disturbances.

The European journal of neuroscience·2026
Same author

Movement Effort does not alter the Planning Horizon of Sequential Reaching Movements.

Journal of neurophysiology·2026
Same author

Gaze-centered spatial coding of touch on a hand-held tool.

Journal of neurophysiology·2026
Same author

Explaining attractive and repulsive biases in the subjective visual vertical.

PLoS computational biology·2026
Same author

Foreknowledge of postural demands of an upcoming step modulates rapid stepping behaviour.

Gait & posture·2026
Same journal

Chlorinated VSLSs Surpass HCFCs in CFC-11-Equivalent Emissions for Ozone Layer Depletion in China.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: Charge transfer in triphenylamine-tetrazine covalent organic frameworks for solar-driven hydrogen peroxide production.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Vegetation browning patterns under compound soil and atmospheric dryness in northern permafrost ecosystems.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Voltage imaging of CA1 pyramidal cells and SST+ interneurons reveals stability and plasticity mechanisms of spatial firing.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Radical-omics reveals the hydrogen-abstraction pathway of isoprene oxidation.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Toughening elastomer via sequentially activated multi-pathway energy dissipation.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 21, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.0K

Dynamic spatial coding in parietal cortex mediates tactile-motor transformation.

Janina Klautke1, Celia Foster2,3, W Pieter Medendorp4

  • 1Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.

Nature Communications
|July 27, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) flexibly updates spatial codes for touch. It integrates tactile location and body posture for movement planning, crucial for body awareness and interaction.

More Related Videos

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.4K
Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
09:11

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

5.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 21, 2025

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

Published on: July 30, 2020

3.0K
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.4K
Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
09:11

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

5.8K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Human Motor Control

Background:

  • Movement to touch involves integrating tactile and proprioceptive information.
  • The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is implicated in both tactile processing and movement planning.
  • The precise interplay between tactile perception and motor control within the PPC remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) represents tactile information and movement goals.
  • To understand the neural mechanisms underlying the transformation of sensory input into goal-directed movements.
  • To elucidate the role of the PPC in integrating anatomical and spatial frames of reference for bodily self-awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record brain activity in human participants.
  • Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) was applied to fMRI data to decode neural representations.
  • Participants performed tasks involving tactile stimulation on feet in different spatial and anatomical configurations, requiring sensory discrimination and motor responses.

Main Results:

  • Tactile location was encoded anatomically in the anterior PPC and spatially in the posterior PPC during sensory processing.
  • Following movement instruction, the PPC shifted to exclusively represent the movement goal in spatial coordinates.
  • Significant overlap in neural coding was observed for sensory, rule-based, and movement information within the PPC.

Conclusions:

  • The PPC demonstrates remarkable flexibility in updating its spatial representations based on task demands.
  • This neural flexibility allows for the transformation of sensory information into appropriate motor commands for interacting with the environment and one's own body.
  • The findings highlight the PPC's critical role in sensorimotor integration and body representation.