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Biomedical subjects

Robert W Van Boven

Publications and source records attributed to Robert W Van Boven.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

The Helix: a multi-modal tactile stimulator for human functional neuroimaging.

In order to expand the repertoire of somatosensory functions that can be effectively studied through functional MRI, we have developed a tactile stimulator which can deliver rich and varied combinations of stimulation that simulate natural tactile exploration. The system is computer controlled and compatible with an MRI environment. Complex aspects of somesthesis can thus be studied independent of confounds introduced by motor activity or problems with precision, accuracy or reproducibility of stimulus delivery.

Brain Mapping↗

Tactile form and location processing in the human brain.

To elucidate the neural basis of the recognition of tactile form and location, we used functional MRI while subjects discriminated gratings delivered to the fingertip of either the right or left hand. Subjects were required to selectively attend to either grating orientation or grating location under identical stimulus conditions. Independent of the hand that was stimulated, grating orientation discrimination selectively activated the left intraparietal sulcus, whereas grating location discrimination selectively activated the right temporoparietal junction. Hence, hemispheric dominance appears to be an organizing principle for cortical processing of tactile form and location.

Adult↗

Enhanced tactile spatial acuity and cortical processing during acute hand deafferentation.

Acute deafferentation of a limb results in bilateral cortical reorganization, but the behavioral consequences of this phenomenon are unknown. Here we found rapid improvements in tactile spatial acuity and changes in cortical processing for the left hand during cutaneous anesthesia of the right hand. The site-specific improvement in tactile spatial acuity may represent a behavioral compensatory gain.

Action Potentials↗