Open AccessTactile form and location processing in the human brain
Author(s) -
Robert W. Van Boven,
John E. Ingeholm,
Michael S. Beauchamp,
Philip C. Bikle,
Leslie Ungerleider
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.0505907102
Subject(s) - intraparietal sulcus , grating , stimulus (psychology) , orientation (vector space) , tactile stimuli , neuroscience , psychology , sensory system , functional magnetic resonance imaging , physics , cognitive psychology , optics , mathematics , geometry
To elucidate the neural basis of the recognition of tactile form and location, we used functional MRI while subjects discriminated gratings delivered to the fingertip of either the right or left hand. Subjects were required to selectively attend to either grating orientation or grating location under identical stimulus conditions. Independent of the hand that was stimulated, grating orientation discrimination selectively activated the left intraparietal sulcus, whereas grating location discrimination selectively activated the right temporoparietal junction. Hence, hemispheric dominance appears to be an organizing principle for cortical processing of tactile form and location.