BACKGROUND Recently, it was reported that the application of a static magnetic field by placing a strong permanent magnet over the scalp for 10 min led to an inhibition of motor cortex excitability for at least 6 min after removing the magnet. When placing the magnet over the somatosensory cortex, a similar inhibitory after effect could be observed as well. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to replicate ...

Somatosensory stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex (SI) using frequency discrimination offers a direct, well-defined and accessible way of studying cortical decisions at the locus of early input processing. Animal studies have identified and classified the neuronal responses in SI but they have not yet resolved whether during prolonged stimulation the collective SI response just passivel...

Early-life sensory experiences have a profound effect on brain organization, connectivity, and subsequent behavior. In most mammals, the earliest sensory inputs are delivered to the developing brain through tactile contact with the parents, especially the mother. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are monogamous and, like humans, are biparental. Within the normal prairie vole population, both...

This study used high-resolution hemispheric mapping of somatosensory evoked potentials to determine the number and organization of secondary somatosensory areas (SII) in rat cortex. Two areas, referred to as SII and PV (parietoventral), revealed complete (SII) or nearly complete (PV) body maps. The vibrissa and somatic representation of SII was upright, rostrally oriented, and immediately later...

In the somatosensory domain it is still unclear at which processing stage information reaches the opposite hemispheres. Due to dense transcallosal connections, the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) has been proposed to be the key candidate for interhemispheric information transfer. However, recent animal studies showed that the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) might as well account for inter...