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Originally published in Science Express on 18 September 2003
Science 31 October 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5646, pp. 881 - 885
DOI: 10.1126/science.1087846
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Reports

Optical Imaging of a Tactile Illusion in Area 3b of the Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Li M. Chen,1 Robert M. Friedman,2 Anna W. Roe1*{dagger}

In the tactile funneling illusion, the simultaneous presentation of brief stimuli at multiple points on the skin produces a single focal sensation at the center of the stimulus pattern even when no physical stimulus occurs at that site. Consistent with the funneling percept, we show with optical imaging in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) that simultaneous stimulation of two fingertips produces a single focal cortical activation between the single fingertip activation regions. Thus, in contrast to traditional views of the body map, topographic representation in the SI reflects the perceived rather than the physical location of peripheral stimulation.

1 Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
2 Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.



{dagger} Present address: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 066 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: anna.roe{at}vanderbilt.edu

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