The cutaneous rabbit illusion affects human primary sensory cortex somatotopically
Open accessAbstract
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study neural correlates of a robust somatosensory illusion that can dissociate tactile perception from physical stimulation. Repeated rapid stimulation at the wrist, then near the elbow, can create the illusion of touches at intervening locations along the arm, as if a rabbit hopped along it. We examined brain activity in humans using fMRI, with improved spatial resolution, during this version of the classic cutaneous rabbit illusion. As compared with control stimulation at the same skin sites (but in a different order that did not induce the illusion), illusory sequences activated contralateral primary somatosensory cortex, at a somatotopic location corresponding to the filled-in illusory perception on the forearm. Moreover, the amplitude of this somatosensory activation was comparable to that for veridical stimulation including the intervening position on the arm. The illusion additionally activated areas of premotor and prefrontal cortex. These results provide direct evidence that illusory somatosensory percepts can affect primary somatosensory cortex in a manner that corresponds somatotopically to the illusory percept.
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- Authors
- Blankenburg, F., Ruff, C. C., Deichmann, R., Rees, G., & Driver, J.
- Affiliations
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Blankenburg, Felix
- Venue
- PLoS Biology
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2006-02-28
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- e69
- ISSN
- 1544-9173 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-7885
- PMC
- PMC1382015
- OpenAlex
- W2075901320
- Cited by
- 131
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 3.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PLoS Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (067453)
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Keywords
- primary somatosensory cortex, somatotopic organization, tactile perception, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Animals, Humans, Illusions, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Rabbits, Skin, Somatosensory Cortex
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