The Sensory Hand: Neural Mechanisms of Somatic Sensation

Description

The hand is an organ of considerable capability. With it we feel, point, and reach, we determine the texture and shape of objects we palpate, we emit and receive signs of approval, compassion, condolence, and encouragement, and, on a different register, rejection, threat, dislike, antagonism, and attack. Vernon Mountcastle has devoted his career to studying the neurophysiology of sensation--the extended sensory surface, consisting of skin and subcutaneous tissue--in the hand. In The Sensory Hand Mountcastle provides an astonishingly comprehensive account of the neural underpinnings of the rich and complex tactile experiences evoked by stimulation of the hand. Mountcastle focuses attention on the nerve pathways linking the hand to central neural structures, structures that play a role in several other aspects of somatic sensation. His new book thus becomes a sequel to his earlier volume, Perceptual Neuroscience, in which he offered a detailed analysis of the role of the distributed systems of the neocortex in perception generally. Written by one of the giants of modern neuroscience and the first single-authored book-length treatment of the subject, The Sensory Hand is a major work of scholarship that will be essential reading for anyone interested in how the brain registers sensation and perception. Dedication Contents Expanded Contents Acknowledgments 1 Perception and the World of Somesthesis 2 The Evolution and Structure of the Hand 3 General Features of Somatic Afferent Systems 4 Sensory Innervation of the Primate Hand 5 Large-Fibered Peripheral Interface 6 Dorsal Systems and the Dorsal Column Nuclear Complex 7 Small-Fibered Peripheral Interface 8 Ascending Spinal Cord Systems of Intrinsic Origin 9 Dual Functions of the Dorsal Thalamus 10 Postcentral Somatic Sensory Cortical Areas in Primates 11 Dynamic Neural Operations in Somatic Sensibility 12 Dynamic Neural Operations in the Sense of Flutter-Vibration 13 Parietal Lateral System and Somatic Sensibility 14 Parietal Frontal Sensory–Motor Transition 15 Adaptive Reorganizations of Central Somatic Sensory Networks 16 Haptic Sense as Substitute for Vision References Index