Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
J Neurosci Methods. 2011 Sep 30;201(1):17-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.06.030. Epub 2011 Jul 7.
We have developed a novel tactile presentation system for assessing and training cognitive function on tactile senses. The device is operational in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment and capable of investigating the underlying neural mechanisms of tactile pattern discrimination. The primary components of the system include a finger movement control unit (FCU), a disk for multiple tactile pattern delivery (DPD), and a force-sensing unit (FSU). An ultrasonic motor rotates the DPD to deliver different tactile patterns for cognitive sensitivity test. We evaluated the operational reliability and the performance of the system in a MRI environment. The results showed that the system performance was not affected by the magnetic field, nor did the system operation interfere with the magnetic field either. The results from the two functional MRI experiments also indicated that the brain activation can be reliably detected with the present system. Furthermore, a tactile pattern discrimination experiment was conducted using the system to investigate cognitive characteristics of shape discrimination under active and passive touch conditions. We found that the mean accuracy of discrimination under active touch was significantly higher than that under passive touch. The high accuracy and magnetic field compatibility of the device suggest that the device provides a powerful means of investigating the neural mechanisms of perception and cognitive function for touch discrimination.
我们开发了一种新颖的触觉呈现系统，用于评估和训练触觉认知功能。该设备可在磁共振成像 (MRI) 环境中运行，能够研究触觉模式识别的潜在神经机制。该系统的主要组成部分包括手指运动控制单元 (FCU)、用于提供多种触觉模式的圆盘 (DPD) 和力感测单元 (FSU)。超声波电机旋转 DPD 以提供不同的触觉模式进行认知灵敏度测试。我们在 MRI 环境中评估了系统的运行可靠性和性能。结果表明，系统性能不受磁场影响，系统运行也不会干扰磁场。两项功能磁共振成像实验的结果还表明，可以使用该系统可靠地检测大脑激活。此外，我们还使用该系统进行了触觉模式识别实验，以研究主动和被动触摸条件下形状识别的认知特征。我们发现，主动触摸下的平均识别准确率明显高于被动触摸下的平均识别准确率。该设备的高精度和磁场兼容性表明，该设备为研究触觉感知和认知功能的神经机制提供了一种强大的手段。
