Functional Organization of Somatosensory Responses in the Secondary Somatosensitive Area and Insula

The implication of the second somatosensory area (SII) and the insular cortex in the processing of somatosensory inputs is now well established. However the functional anatomy of these areas hidden in the depth of the sylvian scissure remain mostly unknown. The aim of this fMRI study is to determine the functional cartography of SII and insula. The localization of responses to different somatosensory stimuli (slight touch, warm, cold, heat pain and arthrokinesia) applied on the left hand of 25 healthy volunteers, will be compared.