Human cortical processing of gentle touch: what can we learn from EEG, MEG and SEEG?
My research focuses on the human sense of touch, from the signalling of receptors in the skin to brain mechanisms for processing of tactile information. We record the activity of single mechanoreceptive fibres (e.g. C-tactile (CT) afferents) using microneurography and study brain mechanisms using brain imaging (fMRI, EEG, SEEG, MEG). We aim to improve our understanding of the sense of touch by establishing the link between the neural messages provided by the peripheral sensory receptors and discriminative and emotional aspects of sensory perception. The focus of my talk will be on how the brain processes gentle touch, which is implicated in person-to-person interactions and conspecific bonding.
