Document Detail


Somatotopic or spatiotopic? Frame of reference for localizing thermal sensations under thermo-tactile interactions.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20675809     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The thermal sense is diffuse and incapable of providing precise spatial information. From a phenomenon known as thermal referral, we know that touch influences the localization of cold or warmth, leading to our perceiving illusory thermal sensations at a thermally neutral site. This study investigated the frame of reference for localizing thermal sensations under thermal referral in order to shed light on how thermal and tactile modalities coordinate to process localization information. One thermally neutral tactile stimulator and two cold (warm) stimulators were presented to different sets of three fingers of both hands. The location of the neutral tactile stimulator varied, and the strength of the referral was estimated from participants' performance in localizing the neutral tactile stimulator. By manipulating the somatotopic and spatiotopic distances between the stimulated sites, we found that the somatotopic distance--more specifically, the distance between and among the sites being defined in cortical topography--determines the strength of thermal referral. Our findings suggest that localization of thermal sensations under thermo-tactile interactions is processed with respect to the somatotopic frame of reference and that this cross-modal processing resides in early cortical areas whose organization conserves topographic information.
Authors:
Hsin-Ni Ho; Junji Watanabe; Hideyuki Ando; Makio Kashino
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Attention, perception & psychophysics     Volume:  72     ISSN:  1943-393X     ISO Abbreviation:  Atten Percept Psychophys     Publication Date:  2010 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-08-02     Completed Date:  2010-12-28     Revised Date:  2011-02-24    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101495384     Medline TA:  Atten Percept Psychophys     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1666-75     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Atsugi, Japan. hsinni@avg.brl.ntt.co.jp
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Attention*
Discrimination (Psychology)*
Female
Hand
Humans
Illusions*
Male
Orientation*
Sensory Deprivation
Sensory Thresholds
Thermosensing*
Touch*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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