Activation of the human mesial cortex during a finger exploration task

Abstract

Somatosensory evoked fields (SEFs) from seven healthy subjects in response to median nerve stimuli at intervals of 3 s were recorded. It was observed that the responses from SII cortices were enhanced and that the responses from the SI cortex were suppressed during a finger exploration session. In addition, novel responses were observed during the exploration session in all subjects. The equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) for these responses originated from the mesial part of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). It is thought that this area plays an important role during a human finger exploratory movement.