Primary somatosensory cortex hand representation dynamically modulated by motor output

Abstract

The brain’s primary motor and primary somatosensory cortices are generally viewed as functionally distinct entities. Here we show by means of magnetoencephalography with a phantom-limb patient, that movement of the phantom hand leads to a change in the response of the primary somatosensory cortex to tactile stimulation. This change correlates with the described conscious perception and suggests a greater degree of functional unification between the primary motor and somatosensory cortices than is currently realized. We suggest that this may reflect the evolution of this part of the human brain, which is thought to have occurred from an undifferentiated sensorimotor cortex.

Keywords:

• phantom
• reference field
• sensorimotor cortex
• somatosensory cortex
• motor cortex

Acknowledgement

We thank Liz Seckel, Bill Rosar and John Smythies for their comments.