Contribution of primary somatosensory area 3b to somatic cognition: a neuromagnetic study.
Interference effects on somatic cognition were compared with those on primary magnetic N20m responses. During tactile interference to various sets of digits, sensory thresholds for electric middle finger stimulation were measured, and then N20m was elicited with the intensity 4 mA above the sensory threshold measured without interference. After the recording, subjective magnitudes for the test stimuli were reported. Modifications of N20m and above psychophysical measures were dependent on the distance between electrically and mechanically activated areas. The differential N20m attenuation is considered to be generated within the neural circuitry in area 3b consisting of mechanically and electrically activated pyramidal neurons. The result indicates that such circuitry plays a fundamental role in magnitude estimation of somatic stimuli.
Tanosaki
Masato
M
Department of Integrated Neuroscience, Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
Suzuki
Atsushi
A
Kimura
Tomoaki
T
Takino
Ryosuke
R
Haruta
Yasuhiro
Y
Hoshi
Yoko
Y
Hashimoto
Isao
I
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*