# Encoding and modulation of vibration representations in human neocortex

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $532,166

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Touch comprises an exquisite sensitivity to vibrations. This sensitivity underlies our ability to perceive
textures and sense through handheld tools. Much of the information conveyed by vibrations is carried in their
spectral content. Thus, vibration perception likely involves cortical processing that is analogous to the
processes that support hearing. Although the neural encoding of vibrations in the peripheral somatosensory
system is established, far less is known about vibration representations in the central nervous system. In this
project, we will extend on our investigations of the cortical basis of vibration processing and determine on how
vibration frequency representations are impacted by selective attention and multisensory context in the human
brain.
 Our understanding of how cortical responses relate to perception is predicated on knowledge of how
sensory information is selectively encoded in neural populations. Indeed, without knowing the logic of how
sensory signals are represented and transformed across the brain, it is difficult to understand how sensory
responses are shaped by attention state or multisensory context. Although much is known about neural tuning
for visual and auditory stimulus features, relatively little is known about somatosensory tuning mechanisms,
particularly with respect to the frequency content of vibrations. We recently uncovered evidence for
somatosensory tuning for vibration frequency in the human brain. This proposal builds on the observation of
somatosensory tuning to test the overarching hypothesis that a cortical processing hierarchy supports the
encoding and elaboration of vibration frequency information. We will address a number of fundamental
questions using human behavior, functional neuroimaging, and modeling. In Aim 1, we will establish how
selective attention impacts frequency representations in voxel-level activity. In Aim 2, we will establish how
auditory frequency information – which is known to bias tactile frequency perception in humans – is integrated
with vibration frequency information in voxel-level activity. In Aim 3, we will test more complex stimuli to identify
brain regions that respond to vibration comprising frequency changes (sweeps) and establish whether cortical
responses reflect tuning for time varying frequency signals.
 Collectively, these experiments will advance our understanding of how the human brain supports vibration
perception and how touch is combined with audition for multisensory cognition. Our findings may inform the
diagnosis and treatment of sensory, cognitive, and psychiatric disorders involving somatosensory deficits, such
as in individuals with brain damage, autism, schizophrenia, and age-related cognitive impairments including
Alzheimer’s disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10492232
- **Project number:** 1R01NS127777-01
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey M Yau
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $532,166
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-15 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10492232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10492232, Encoding and modulation of vibration representations in human neocortex (1R01NS127777-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10492232. Licensed CC0.

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