Flexible Perception of Tactile Cues in Multiple Reference Frames

Abstract

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWLeading models of somatosensory processing posit that integration of tactile and proprioceptive cues is essential for touch perception. Yet, such integration is not universally beneficial. While posture-dependent remapping of tactile signals is critical for guiding hand actions, discrimination of certain tactile features is enhanced when touch is represented independently of hand posture. How the brain flexibly controls the integration of tactile and proprioceptive cues based on task demands remains unclear, as most studies have only examined touch perception within a single reference frame. Here, we studied how reference frame demands shape touch perception in humans making motion judgements on a finger, while varying hand posture. Participants were cued to report motion direction relative to the finger or the sternum (i.e., the bodys midline). We found that tactile and proprioceptive cues are integrated in a task-specific manner, with hand posture biasing judgments only in the Sternum-centric task. Further, we observe that reaction times are faster for Sternum-centric judgments, with accumulation-to-bound models indicating that this advantage is driven by lower decision thresholds. Finally, we developed a Bayesian computational framework that formalizes how tactile motion signals are transformed across hand postures, advancing our understanding of how the brain maps sensory information from skin-to body-centered coordinates. Together, these findings demonstrate that reference frame task demands shape both the transformation of tactile information and speed of perceptual decisions, within a Bayesian computational framework for task-dependent coordinate transformations.