title: Selective spatial attention induces short-term plasticity in human somatosensory cortex.
abstract: Early cognitive process in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) was studied by measuring somatosensory evoked magnetic fields during selective attention tasks. We used vibratory stimuli to the index or middle finger with a frequency of 100 or 400 Hz for selective discrimination of spatial finger and non-spatial frequency attribute of stimuli. An early M50 component from the SI cortex indicated that the SI regions for the fingers were specifically segregated in a finger discrimination task but not in a frequency discrimination task or in a control condition. The task-dependent and immediate switchover of cortical finger representation demonstrates a dynamic SI activation for spatial information processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Neuroscience, Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, 2-1-8 Kamikitazawa Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014732:Vibration