ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Perception Science
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1621383
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the Neural Mechanisms of Sensory-Cognitive Associations: Bridging Sensory Perception and Higher Cognitive FunctionsView all 9 articles
Tactile Exploration and Imagery Elicit Distinct Neural Dynamics in the Parietal Cortical Network
Provisionally accepted
Qi Zhang1,2
Yang Yang2Zhemeng Wang2,3Jiayue Zhou2,4
Runshi Gao5Xingyi Yang2,6Siwei Li2
Tao Yu5*
Jin Zhou2*Changyong Wang1,2*- 1School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- 2Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- 3Peking University, Beijing, China
- 4Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- 5Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- 6Beijing Simulation Center, Beijing, China
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Background: Tactile imagery involves the reconstruction of sensory experiences without actual tactile input. While tactile perception and imagery exhibit similar spatial patterns of neural activation, the underlying neural dynamics, particularly cortical communications within the parietal network, remain unclear. Methods: The present study recruited 5 patients with implanted stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) electrodes and recorded sEEG data during texture scanning and imagery. Local neural representations and interregional communications among parietal cortical regions were analyzed.Results: Opposing modulation patterns of local time-frequency representations were observed, with inhibited neural synchronization during texture scanning and activated synchronization during texture imagery. Consistently, the directional communication from the somatosensory cortex to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) was found to be suppressed for scanning but enhanced for imagery.Additionally, bidirectional communication between the supramarginal gyrus and precuneus was activated during imagery but not scanning, suggesting a unique pathway for reconstructing tactile experiences.Our findings proposed that while texture perception and imagery engage overlapping cortical regions, their mechanisms underlying local encoding and interregional communication are distinct.
Keywords: Tactile Imagery, Somatosensory Cortex, Posterior parietal cortex, Texture scanning, SEEG (stereo-electroencephalography)
Received: 01 May 2025; Accepted: 15 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Yang, Wang, Zhou, Gao, Yang, Li, Yu, Zhou and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Tao Yu, Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Jin Zhou, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
Changyong Wang, School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
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