POWRE: "What" vs. "Where" Pathways in Somatosensory Cortex Using fMRI and MEG

体感系统涉及触觉，而触觉这个术语包括物体如何通过触觉识别，以及它们的空间关系。与视觉处理有一个有趣的平行之处，有证据表明，大脑包含两条关于触摸的信息路径，一条是感知一个物体是什么，另一条是感知它在哪里。该项目将利用当前的成像技术(通过fMRI和脑磁图技术进行脑扫描)与人类受试者一起识别和定位任务中的神经活动，该任务旨在主要利用其中一条路径来响应触觉刺激。这两种类型的触觉加工的不同将反映出躯体感觉系统的功能专门化。该奖项是在NSF的女性研究和教育职业机会(POWRE)活动中颁发的。这将为一名年轻女性提供一个独特的机会，在不同的校园通过接受神经成像培训来拓宽她在认知神经科学领域的技术专长，并将这些专业知识带回她的母校加强她的教学和研究，因此将对她的职业生涯和母校产生重大影响。科学结果也将产生影响，因为更好地理解触觉知觉对感觉神经科学总体上很重要，并可能导致人工或辅助技术的实质性进步，如盲人辅助和机器人技术。

The somatosensory system involves the sense of touch, and the term haptic perception includes how objects are recognized by touch, as well as their spatial relations. In an interesting parallel with visual processing, there is evidence that the brain contains two pathways for information about touch, one for perceiving 'what' an object is, and the other for 'where' it is. This project will utilize current imaging technology (brain scanning by fMRI and MEG techniques) with human subjects to identify and localize the neural activity in tasks designed to utilize primarily one or the other pathway in response to tactile stimuli. Differences in the two types of tactile processing will reflect functional specialization in the somatosensory system. This award is in the Professional Opportunities for Women in Research & Education (POWRE) activity of NSF. It will provide a young woman a unique opportunity a a different campus to broaden her technical expertise in the field of cognitive neuroscience by getting training in neuroimaging, and bring that expertise back to enhance her teaching and research at her home institution, and so will have a significant impact on her career and on the home institution. The scientific results also will have an impact because a better understanding of haptic perception is important to sensory neuroscience in general, and could lead to substantial advances in artificial or assistive technologies, such as aids for the blind and for robotics.