Publication

Digit somatotopy in the human cerebellum: A 7T fMRI study

Abstract

The representation of the human body in the human cerebellum is still relatively unknown, compared to the well-studied homunculus in the primary somatosensory cortex. The investigation of the body representation in the cerebellum and its somatotopic organisation is complicated because of the relatively small dimensions of the cerebellum, compared to the cerebrum. Somatotopically organised whole-body homunculi have previously been reported in both humans and rats. However, whether individual digits are represented in the cerebellum in a somatotopically organised way is much less clear. In this study, the high spatial resolution and high sensitivity to the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal of 7T fMRI were employed to study the BOLD responses in the human cerebellum to the stroking of the skin of individual digits, the hand and forearm. For the first time, a coarse somatotopic organisation of the digits, ordered from D1-D5, could be visualised in individual human subjects in both the anterior (lobule V) and the posterior (lobule VIII) lobes of the cerebellum using a somatosensory stimulus. The somatotopic gradient in lobule V was found consistently in the posterior to anterior direction, with the thumb most posterior, while the direction of the somatotopic gradient in lobule VIII differed between subjects. No somatotopic organisation was found in Crus I. A comparison of the digit patches with the hand patch revealed that the digit regions are completely covered by the hand region in both the anterior and posterior lobes of the cerebellum, in a non-somatotopic manner. These results demonstrate the promise of ultra-high field, high-resolution fMRI for studies of the cerebellum.

About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Ontological neighbourhood
Related concepts (33)
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consisting of allocortex. It is separated into two cortices, by the longitudinal fissure that divides the cerebrum into the left and right cerebral hemispheres. The two hemispheres are joined beneath the cortex by the corpus callosum. The cerebral cortex is the largest site of neural integration in the central nervous system.
Somatosensory system
In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is a subset of the sensory nervous system, which also represents visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli. Somatosensation begins when mechano- and thermosensitive structures in the skin or internal organs sense physical stimuli such as pressure on the skin (see mechanotransduction, nociception).
Motor cortex
The motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements. The motor cortex is an area of the frontal lobe located in the posterior precentral gyrus immediately anterior to the central sulcus. The motor cortex can be divided into three areas: 1. The primary motor cortex is the main contributor to generating neural impulses that pass down to the spinal cord and control the execution of movement. However, some of the other motor areas in the brain also play a role in this function.
Show more
Related publications (43)

Neuronal correlates of goal-directed sensorimotor transformation in sensory, motor and higher-order cortical areas

Anastasiia Oryshchuk

An important function of the brain is to interpret incoming sensory information from the outside world to guide adaptive behavior. Understanding how and where sensory information is transformed into motor commands in a context- and learning-dependent manne ...
EPFL2023

Hand and face somatotopy shown using MRI-safe vibrotactile stimulation with a novel soft pneumatic actuator (SPA)-skin interface

Jamie Paik, Harshal Arun Sonar

The exact somatotopy of the human facial representation in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) remains de-bated. One reason that progress has been hampered is due to the methodological challenge of how to apply automated vibrotactile stimuli to face area ...
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE2023

Metabolic and hemodynamic changes in the activated human brain and cerebellar organisation measured by MRS/MRl at 7 Tesla

Yohan Boillat

Although less often investigated than the positive blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal, a negative BOLD signal has also been observed under certain conditions, which could have a neuronal origin. To further investigate the negative BOLD signal from ...
EPFL2020
Show more
Related MOOCs (23)
Fundamentals of Biomedical Imaging: Ultrasounds, X-ray, positron emission tomography (PET) and applications
Learn how principles of basic science are integrated into major biomedical imaging modalities and the different techniques used, such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), ultrasounds and positron emissi
Fundamentals of Biomedical Imaging: Ultrasounds, X-ray, positron emission tomography (PET) and applications
Learn how principles of basic science are integrated into major biomedical imaging modalities and the different techniques used, such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), ultrasounds and positron emissi
Fundamentals of Biomedical Imaging: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Learn about magnetic resonance, from the physical principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to the basic concepts of image reconstruction (MRI).
Show more