Tactile and Sensory Interactions

Biomechanical filtering supports efficient tactile encoding in the human hand

The paper shows biomechanical filtering in the hand enhances tactile encoding efficiency by modifying skin oscillations before neural responses.

Flexible Perception of Tactile Cues in Multiple Reference Frames

This study shows how reference frame demands shape touch perception by integrating tactile and proprioceptive cues in a task-specific manner, with faster reaction times and lower decision thresholds in a Sternum-centric task.

When mechanical engineering inspired from physiology improves postural-related somatosensory processes

This study shows that a biomimetic surface improves somatosensory responses and reduces cortical oscillations during balance recovery, suggesting enhanced postural control.

Reduced dimension stimulus decoding and column-based modeling reveal architectural differences of primary somatosensory finger maps between younger and older adults

The paper uses shared response modeling to detect age-related differences in finger maps in the primary somatosensory cortex between younger and older adults.

Discrete somatotopic representation and neural response properties in hummingbird and zebra finch forebrain nuclei

This study maps somatotopic organization and neural response properties in the forebrain of hummingbirds and finches using electrophysiological recordings.

BackWards - Unveiling the Brain's Topographic Organization of Paraspinal Sensory Input

The paper uses fMRI and representational similarity analysis to map cortical representations of paraspinal sensory input, finding a dermatomal organization in sensorimotor cortices.

Role of finger movement kinematics in friction perception at initial contact with smooth surfaces

The paper shows that natural finger movement kinematics enhance friction perception at initial contact with smooth surfaces, as demonstrated by improved performance in identifying slippery surfaces.

Hello From the Other Side: Robust Contralateral Interference in Tactile Detection

The paper investigates how irrelevant tactile stimulation at one body site affects tactile detection at another, finding robust interference effects and suggesting early integration of sensory inputs across body sides.

A somatosensory computation that unifies limbs and tools

The paper shows that the brain uses trilateration to localize touch on tools, similar to how it works for limbs, and demonstrates this with behavioral and computational models.

To touch or to be touched? Comparing pleasantness of vicarious execution and reception of interpersonal touch

The paper compares the pleasantness of vicarious execution and reception of interpersonal touch, finding CT-optimal velocities and sites yield higher ratings, with reception being more pleasant than execution.

Direction-Specific Effects of Artificial Skin-Stretch on Stiffness Perception and Grip Force Control

This study investigates how the direction of artificial skin-stretch affects perceived stiffness and grip force control, finding that positive stretch increases stiffness perception more than negative stretch.

Phantom touch illusion, an unexpected phenomenological effect of tactile gating in the absence of tactile stimulation

The paper reports a phantom touch illusion during self-touch in virtual reality, suggesting tactile gating involves multi-sensory top-down processing rather than vision alone.

The differential effect of age on upper limb sensory processing, proprioception and motor function

This study examines age-related changes in upper limb sensory processing, proprioception, and motor function, finding greater age effects on sensory processing than on motor or proprioceptive abilities.

3D architecture and a bi-cellular mechanism of touch detection in mechanosensory corpuscle

This study reveals the 3D architecture of avian Meissner corpuscles and identifies a bi-cellular mechanism where lamellar cells release neurotransmitters to trigger action potentials in afferents for touch detection.

Pre-neuronal processing of haptic sensory cues via dispersive high-frequency vibrational modes

The paper investigates how whisker vibrations encode haptic information in rodents, revealing that high-frequency vibrational modes generate time-sequenced spike trains with high information capacity.

Aging exerts a limited influence on the perception of self-generated and externally generated touch

The paper investigates whether aging increases somatosensory attenuation and finds no significant increase in elderly participants, challenging previous claims of a direct relationship.

Neural and behavioral correlates of evidence accumulation in human click-based echolocation

This study examines the neural and behavioral mechanisms of spatial information accumulation in human click-based echolocation using EEG, showing that experts integrate spatial cues over time.

Dynamic spatial coding in parietal cortex mediates tactile-motor transformation

This study shows that posterior parietal cortex dynamically updates spatial codes to transform tactile input into motor output based on movement goals.

Can Information About Stiffness Perception be Inferred from Action Signals Using Models?

The paper investigates whether perceptual information about stiffness can be inferred from action signals alone, finding that grip force and motion signals contain relevant perceptual data.

An individual's skin stiffness predicts their tactile acuity

This study shows that skin stiffness, not finger size, is a key factor in tactile acuity, as softer skin improves object discrimination through greater deformation patterns.

Supraorbital whiskers act as wind-antennae in rat anemotaxis

This study shows that long supraorbital whiskers in rats are specialized for detecting airflow, influencing behavior through biomechanical and neural mechanisms.

The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity

This study investigates how the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) modulates mechanical and thermal sensitivity through distinct neural circuits compared to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1).

Metamodal Coupling of Vibrotactile and Auditory Speech Processing Systems Through Matched Stimulus Representations

The paper shows that matching neural representations between sensory modalities is critical for metamodal brain engagement, as demonstrated by vibrotactile word recognition tasks.

Similar somatotopy for active and passive digit representation in primary somatosensory cortex

This study shows that primary somatosensory cortex digit representation is consistent between active and passive tasks, with active tasks better at fine-grained discrimination.

How tactile afferents in the human fingerpad encode tangential torques associated with manipulation: are we better than monkeys?

This study compares how human and monkey tactile afferents encode tangential torques during fingerpad manipulation, finding human SA-I afferents less sensitive than monkey counterparts but potentially compensated by SA-II afferents.

Aβ-CT affective touch: Touch pleasantness ratings for gentle stroking and deep pressure exhibit dependence on A-fibers

The paper shows that A-fiber function is critical for perceiving the pleasantness of gentle stroking and deep pressure in humans.

Interdependence of primary and secondary somatosensory cortices for plasticity and texture discrimination learning

This study shows that both primary and secondary somatosensory cortices are required for whisker-based texture discrimination learning in mice, with S2 feedback modulating LTP in S1 and inducing structural plasticity in S1 basal dendrites.

Peripersonal encoding of forelimb proprioception in the mouse somatosensory cortex

This study identifies the rodent proprioceptive cortex using calcium imaging and optogenetics, showing that limb movements are encoded as spatial direction vectors in somatosensory and motor areas.

The 3D Structural Architecture of the Human Hand Area is Non-Topographic

The paper uses 7T MRI to analyze 3D structural features in the human hand area of S1 and finds no topographic organization, unlike in some monkeys.

S1 represents multisensory contexts and somatotopic locations within and outside the bounds of the cortical homunculus

This study investigates how vision modulates S1 activity during tactile stimulation and shows that S1 represents both arm and finger touches, with stronger encoding for arm touches.