A pneumatic vibrotactile stimulation device for fMRI.
Mapping the functional response of the somatosensory cortex is useful both for characterizing normal brain activity and for determining the functional integrity of damaged cortex compromised by stroke or other neurological insults. A variety of stimulators have been used to produce somatosensory cortex activation in functional brain imaging, including brushes and swabs operated manually, pneumatically and mechanically powered mechanical vibrators, air puffs, and vibrating ceramic piezoelectric wafers and benders. A closed-system, pneumatically driven rubber diaphragm is reported that overcomes many of the limitations of existing vibrotactile devices and produces robust sensory cortex activation in an fMRI experiment.
Departments of Radiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Richard.Briggs@UTSouthwestern.edu
Richard W
RW
Briggs
Iona
I
Dy-Liacco
Matthew P
MP
Malcolm
Hyunsook
H
Lee
Kyung K
KK
Peck
Kaundinya S
KS
Gopinath
Nathan C
NC
Himes
David A
DA
Soltysik
Paul
P
Browne
Roger
R
Tran-Son-Tay
D000388:Air; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch; D014732:Vibration