title: Investigation of the cortical activation by touching fabric actively using fingers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human subjects can tactually estimate the perception of touching fabric. Although many psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments have elucidated the peripheral neural mechanisms that underlie fabric hand estimation, the associated cortical mechanisms are not well understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  To identify the brain regions responsible for the tactile stimulation of fabric against human skin, we used the technology of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to observe brain activation when the subjects touched silk fabric actively using fingers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistent with previous research about brain cognition on sensory stimulation, large activation in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), the secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) and moto cortex, and little activation in the posterior insula cortex and Broca's Area were observed when the subjects touched silk fabric.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The technology of fMRI is a promising tool to observe and characterize the brain cognition on the tactile stimulation of fabric quantitatively. The intensity and extent of activation in the brain regions, especially the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and the secondary somatosensory cortex (SII), can represent the perception of stimulation of fabric quantitatively.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.|College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.|College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013784:Textiles / Q000145:classification*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: active touch; brain responses; cortical activation; fabric; functional magnetic resonance imaging