Somatosensory system organization and development

The somatosensory system, the sensation of the body and its movements, is not one sense but many. The somatic nervous system refers to nerves that convey messages from the sense organs to the central nervous system and from the central nervous system to muscles and glands. Information from touch receptors in the head enters the central nervous system through the cranial nerves. Information from receptors below the head enters the spinal cord and passes toward the brain. The somatosensory cortex is that portion of the cerebral cortex that responds to touch and other body information. After damage to the somatosensory cortex, people generally experience an impairment of body perceptions.

People related to the topic: Somatosensory system organization and development

Jon Kaas, Ph.D.
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair and Distinguished Centennial Professor of Psychology; Professor of Radiology& Radiological Sciences

Mark Wallace, Ph.D.
Louise B. McGavock Endowed Chair; Professor of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and Psychology; Director, IDDRC Behavioral Phenotyping Core (Core D)

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