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Brain Processing of CT-Targeted Stimulation

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Affective Touch and the Neurophysiology of CT Afferents

Abstract

CT afferents, together with other types of unmyelinated and thinly myelinated afferents, likely project via the spinothalamic tract to a specific posterior/basal ventral medial nucleus of the thalamus in primates. Functional imaging studies in patients with selective denervation of unmyelinated or myelinated afferents and in healthy subjects suggest that CT-targeted stimulation activates the insular cortex in the hemisphere contralateral to stimulation. This area shows a somatotopical response to CT stimulation, supporting the idea that it is a primary cortical target for CT afferent projections. This chapter reviews findings related to the insular cortex.

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Correspondence to Malin Björnsdotter M.Sc., Ph.D. .

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Björnsdotter, M. (2016). Brain Processing of CT-Targeted Stimulation. In: Olausson, H., Wessberg, J., Morrison, I., McGlone, F. (eds) Affective Touch and the Neurophysiology of CT Afferents. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6418-5_11

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