# Developing an Experimental and Computational Framework for Studying Neural Representations of Tactile Motion on the Hand

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2024 · $192,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dexterous manipulation of objects relies on brain computations that integrate neural signals encoding tactile
signals on the skin with the proprioceptive state of the hand. In particular, neural ensembles that encode tactile
motion on the skin are critical because they provide feedback signals to motor planning areas to indicate whether
an object is slipping from the hand. Although we have a good understanding of how tactile motion signals are
represented in the brain, this knowledge has been accrued from studies that placed the hand in a fixed position.
Indeed, all studies that have investigated tactile motion mechanisms at the single-cell level have done so in
animals not performing a motion discrimination task, and with their hands placed in a fixed posture. These studies
show that tactile motion can be represented in area 1 by cells that integrate different tactile cues of the object
(e.g., direction, speed, and saliency). However, our recent work in humans shows that perception of tactile motion
on a finger is modulated by the proprioceptive state of the hand, and the body part location in which motion
judgements are made relative to (i.e., the reference frame). These findings indicate that current models of
tactile motion require major revisions. That is, neural models of tactile motion should take into account how
motion representations in touch are transformed by proprioception and/or reference frame signals. Thus, the
overarching goal of this application is to determine the neural areas and mechanisms that generate
reference frame-specific representations of tactile motion.
Key to determining the single-cell mechanisms that mediate reference frame-specific representations of tactile
motion is to record activity in non-human primates (NHPs) discriminating tactile motion stimuli in different
reference frames, and with their hands placed in different postures. Unfortunately, our field does not have an
established paradigm, or training regime, to study these motion mechanisms in a NHP. In Aim I, we develop a
behavioral paradigm to train NHPs to discriminate the motion direction of stimulus on a finger (e.g., index finger)
in different reference frames (e.g., relative to the center of the body, or the thumb), while their hands are placed
different proprioceptive states (e.g., pronated vs. supinated). In Aim II, we will record single-unit activity in
somatosensory cortex (area 1) in trained NHPs to determine the neural computations that generate reference
frame-specific representations of tactile motion. Our behavioral experiments will test that perceptual
representations of tactile motion are conserved across NHPs and humans, demonstrating that NHPs are a viable
species to study neural mechanisms of tactile motion at the single cell level. Our neurophysiology experiments
will test whether motion selective neurons in area 1, the tactile analogue of medial temporal (MT) cortex for visual
motion, flexibly represent motion in diff...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10900628
- **Project number:** 5R21NS133935-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Manuel Gomez-Ramirez
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $192,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-08 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10900628

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10900628, Developing an Experimental and Computational Framework for Studying Neural Representations of Tactile Motion on the Hand (5R21NS133935-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10900628. Licensed CC0.

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