Somatosensory Cortex and Tactile Perceptions

This chapter considers the cerebral cortical areas responsible for low-threshold touch perception in primates, emphasizes on cognitive factors in tactile perception, discusses receptive field organization in the cortex, and highlights the issues that may benefit from future study.

Abstract

This chapter considers the cerebral cortical areas responsible for low-threshold touch perception in primates. It emphasizes on cognitive factors in tactile perception, discusses receptive field organization in the cortex, and highlights the issues that may benefit from future study. On the basis of anatomical and physiological criteria, approximately ten parietal cortical areas involve somatosensory processing. These areas display separable cytoarchitecture and form a connected somatosensory network because they share thalamic and cortical connections. All ten areas respond in some way to cutaneous or deep receptor stimulation and most contain somatotopically-organized maps. The physiological perspective primarily focuses on the isolated elements responsible for perceptions of well-controlled tactile stimuli.