title: Sense, memory, and decision-making in the somatosensory cortical network.
abstract: The brain constructs representations of objects and concepts based in sensory information combined with experience. This mental process, that we call perception, is the result of a chain of events consisting of phenomena such as detection, memory, discrimination, categorization and decision-making. Although the phenomenon of perception is not necessarily dependent on a given sensory modality (e.g. visual perception, auditory, tactile), single sensory models are indispensable for studying the neural mechanisms that generate it. The somatosensory system is a suitable model for studying the manner in which presentation of a single physical variable (e.g. vibration) triggers a perceptual process. Here, we discuss some recent studies in the somatosensory system that in our view, constitute a breakthrough to understanding decision making.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 México, D.F., Mexico. rromo@ifc.unam.mx
authors.forename: Ranulfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romo
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lemus
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Lafuente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*