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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
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Adaptation of a Haptic Robot in a 3T fMRI
Published on: October 4, 2011
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Decoding haptic and imagined stimulus size in the human cortex
Samantha Sartin1, Federica Danaj2, Fabio Del Giudice1
1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
Neuroimage
|February 6, 2026
Summary
The early visual cortex (EVC) decodes object size during touch, but not imagination. This indicates haptic exploration, not visual imagery, drives EVC activity for size representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The early visual cortex (EVC), including V1, is implicated in haptic object exploration.
- It's unclear if the EVC represents object features like size during touch without vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if stimulus size can be decoded from EVC activity during haptic exploration.
- To investigate if visual imagery explains size decoding in the EVC during haptic tasks.
Main Methods:
- fMRI with multivariate pattern analysis was used on 25 participants.
- Participants haptically explored or imagined the size of rings while blindfolded.
- Psychophysiological interaction analysis examined functional connectivity.
Main Results:
- V1 and occipital pole (OP) accurately decoded size during haptic exploration, but not imagery.
- Frontal, parietal, and LOtv regions decoded size in both haptic and imagery conditions.
- V1 and OP showed increased connectivity with visual streams during haptic tasks.
Conclusions:
- EVC activity patterns reflect size during haptic exploration, independent of visual imagery.
- Frontoparietal regions exhibit flexible size representations adaptable to task demands.
- Generalized size representations are supported by regions specialized for haptic and imagery processing.
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