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Somatosensation

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.

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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses

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Published on: January 7, 2019

Creation of a biological sensorimotor interface for bionic reconstruction.

Christopher Festin^1,2, Joachim Ortmayr¹, Udo Maierhofer^1,2

¹Clinical Laboratory for Bionic Extremity Reconstruction, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Nature Communications

|June 24, 2024

Summary

Researchers created a biological interface for bionic arms, enabling sensory feedback. This novel approach in rats shows potential for intuitive neuroprosthetic applications by restoring natural sensation.

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Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback as a Rehabilitation Tool for Patients with Global Brachial Plexus Injury Receiving Bionic Reconstruction

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Fabrication of the Composite Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface C-RPNI in the Adult Rat

Fabrication of the Composite Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface C-RPNI in the Adult Rat

Published on: February 25, 2020

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Neuroscience
Regenerative Medicine

Background:

Restoring sensation in bionic arms is a significant challenge, as current sensory feedback methods lack natural intuitiveness.
Existing neuroprosthetic technologies struggle to replicate the complex sensory information crucial for intuitive control.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a novel biological sensorimotor interface for neuroprosthetics.
To establish a bi-directional communication pathway for restoring tactile and proprioceptive feedback in prosthetic limbs.

Main Methods:

Surgical transfer of a mixed nerve to skeletal muscle combined with glabrous dermal skin transplantation in a rat model.
Morphological analyses for reinnervation assessment (skin, mechanoreceptors, NMJs, muscle spindles).
Retrograde labeling and electrophysiological recordings to confirm sensory reinnervation and afferent signal transmission.

Main Results:

Successful reinnervation of skin, mechanoreceptors, neuromuscular junctions, and muscle spindles was confirmed.
Specific sensory reinnervation within the dorsal root ganglia was identified.
Reproducible afferent signals were recorded upon tactile and proprioceptive stimulation.

Conclusions:

The study demonstrates the feasibility of surgically creating a biological interface for decoding motor control and encoding sensory feedback.
This approach offers a promising pathway for clinical translation of biological communication in neuroprosthetics.
The developed interface has the potential to significantly enhance the functionality and intuitiveness of bionic limbs.