MEG and Electrophysiological Responses to Tactile Stimuli
Author Information
Author(s): Zhu Zhao, Johanna M Zumer, Marianne E Lowenthal, Jeff Padberg, Gregg H Recanzone, Leah A Krubitzer, Srikantan S Nagarajan, Elizabeth A Disbrow
Primary Institution: University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Davis
Hypothesis
The MEG signal will faithfully reflect latency and amplitude characteristics of the underlying neural rate effect.
Conclusion
The MEG signal is an accurate representation of electrophysiological responses to complex natural stimuli.
Supporting Evidence
- The amplitude of the MEG signal accurately reflected stimulus-induced changes in underlying neural activity.
- The response latencies of the LFP and MEG recordings were similar, while both were significantly different from the response latency of the MUA data.
- The relative amplitude of the MEG data was significantly different from the relative amplitude of MUA, but not from the LFP.
Takeaway
This study looked at how brain signals change when you touch something at different speeds. It found that a special brain scan called MEG can show how the brain reacts to these touches very well.
Methodology
The study used MEG to record brain activity in response to tactile stimuli at varying rates, comparing it with local field potentials and multi-unit activity in macaque monkeys.
Limitations
The study was conducted on a small number of animals and may not fully represent human responses.
Participant Demographics
Two anesthetized adult male macaque monkeys.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.01
Statistical Significance
p < 0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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