How the brain senses and shapes touch vibrations
Encoding and modulation of vibration representations in human neocortex
This project looks at how the human brain senses vibration through touch and how attention or other senses change those signals for people with or without brain injury or dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11418197 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would feel gentle vibrations of different pitches while researchers record brain activity to see how those vibrations are represented in the cortex. At times you would be asked to focus on the vibrations or to perform tasks that add visual or auditory cues so scientists can see how attention and other senses change the brain’s response. The team will compare patterns of brain activity tied to different vibration frequencies to understand how those signals relate to what you actually feel. Results aim to link neural tuning to everyday touch perception and how it is altered by brain conditions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who can tolerate lab-based sensory testing and follow simple instructions, including people with acquired brain injury or Alzheimer-related memory changes as well as healthy volunteers.
Not a fit: People who cannot follow tasks, have very severe cognitive impairment, or have implanted devices incompatible with neural recordings may not be eligible or benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve understanding of sensory processing in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and acquired brain injury and help guide new diagnostic or rehabilitation approaches.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have found somatosensory tuning for vibration frequency, but applying attention and multisensory contexts to human cortical responses is a newer extension of that work.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yau, Jeffrey M — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Yau, Jeffrey M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.