Somatosensory Thresholds

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Abstract
ELECTRICAL stimulation of the cerebral cortex in conscious patients has shown the major cortical representation of somatic sensation to be in the postcentral gyrus, with a minor representation in the precentral gyrus.1-4On both sides of the rolandic fissure, the entire body form is represented in sequence, throat lying just above the fissure of Sylvius and toes at the midline. There is some debate, however, concerning the role of this central region in somatosensory discrimination, and the extent to which such discriminatory functions are focally represented in man's cortex. Early clinical reports described patients with small unilateral cortical excisions who showed partial interference with sensory function in the corresponding body parts. Thus, van Valkenburg5identified the postcentral hand area by electrical stimulation, excised a small amount of tissue there, and later observed a mild disturbance of light touch, pressure, two-point discrimination, and position sense in the