Temporal Dynamics of Early Somatosensory Processing in Goal-Directed Actions
- 1Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Hesse, Germany
- 2Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg, Giessen and Darmstadt, Marburg 35032, Hesse, Germany
Abstract
Tactile sensitivity is temporally modulated on a moving limb. Yet the neural mechanisms underlying this modulation remain unclear. Using electroencephalography, we examined the temporal dynamics of early somatosensory processing during goal-directed reaching. Participants (self-reported gender, 22 females, 16 males) reached for their unseen left hand while a brief standard vibration of a fixed intensity was applied to the moving right index finger in different movement phases. After each reach, participants compared this standard with a second comparison vibration of varying intensity applied to the sternum and judged which vibration felt stronger. The same task was performed at rest to account for individual differences. Psychophysical results revealed an overall reduction in tactile sensitivity during reaching compared with rest, with sensitivity transiently improving around maximum speed relative to the late movement phase. Consistent with the psychophysical data, the short-latency P45 component, originating in the primary somatosensory cortex, was reduced during reaching but recovered around maximum speed. Lower P45 amplitudes were associated with lower tactile sensitivity measured behaviorally, suggesting that early somatosensory processing may contribute to the observed perceptual changes. This temporally specific modulation of tactile perception, together with corresponding changes at the early cortical stage, is consistent with the idea that the somatosensory system dynamically adapts its sensitivity to facilitate control of somatosensory-guided actions.
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BibTeX
@article{fuehrer2026temporal,
title = {{Temporal Dynamics of Early Somatosensory Processing in Goal-Directed Actions}},
author = {Elena Fuehrer and Dimitris Voudouris and Lisa K. Maurer and Katja Fiehler},
journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1523/jneurosci.0349-26.2026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0349-26.2026},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Temporal Dynamics of Early Somatosensory Processing in Goal-Directed Actions
AU - Elena Fuehrer
AU - Dimitris Voudouris
AU - Lisa K. Maurer
AU - Katja Fiehler
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - The Journal of Neuroscience
DO - 10.1523/jneurosci.0349-26.2026
UR - https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0349-26.2026
AB - Tactile sensitivity is temporally modulated on a moving limb. Yet the neural mechanisms underlying this modulation remain unclear. Using electroencephalography, we examined the temporal dynamics of early somatosensory processing during goal-directed reaching. Participants (self-reported gender, 22 females, 16 males) reached for their unseen left hand while a brief standard vibration of a fixed intensity was applied to the moving right index finger in different movement phases. After each reach, participants compared this standard with a second comparison vibration of varying intensity applied to the sternum and judged which vibration felt stronger. The same task was performed at rest to account for individual differences. Psychophysical results revealed an overall reduction in tactile sensitivity during reaching compared with rest, with sensitivity transiently improving around maximum speed relative to the late movement phase. Consistent with the psychophysical data, the short-latency P45 component, originating in the primary somatosensory cortex, was reduced during reaching but recovered around maximum speed. Lower P45 amplitudes were associated with lower tactile sensitivity measured behaviorally, suggesting that early somatosensory processing may contribute to the observed perceptual changes. This temporally specific modulation of tactile perception, together with corresponding changes at the early cortical stage, is consistent with the idea that the somatosensory system dynamically adapts its sensitivity to facilitate control of somatosensory-guided actions.
SN - 0270-6474
SN - 1529-2401
ER -