Sensory and motor control mechanisms of the human hand

Specific goals: The project concerns the link between human tactile sensory receptors in the skin, brain activity, and discriminative and emotional aspects of human touch.

The three main objectives are, first, to investigate the relationship between tactile receptors, brain activity, and elicited sensations of touch; second, to study the system of unmyelinated tactile (CT) afferents; third, to translate our research into a working solution for Prosthetic Touch in upper limb amputees.Work plan: Key methods are recording the activity and stimulation of single tactile afferents using microneurography.

We combine this with brain imaging using EEG, MEG, intracranial SEEG electrodes, and state-of-the art new on-scalp MEG sensors (so-called high-Tc SQUIDs). Tactile experiments are performed using purpose-built robotic devices. Participants ́ responses are registered using psychophysical techniques.

Data are analyzed using advanced and state-of-the-art statistical methods.Relevance: We present a unique approach where we combine single-unit afferent nerve signals with state-of-the art functional brain imaging to elucidate neurophysiological mechanisms of the sense of touch in humans.

Clinical disciplines that may benefit from the project include the neurological disciplines, rehabilitation, and psychiatry.

We aim to directly translate our basic scientific research to solutions for providing a sense of touch in amputees by nerve stimulation through chronically implanted electrodes.