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Somatosensory Neurons – Unlocking the Neural Code of Touch
  • Invertebrate
  • Grade 6+

Somatosensory Neurons – Unlocking the Neural Code of Touch

Ever wondered how your body turns touch into language your brain can understand? This experiment reveals how gentle tactile stimulation triggers precise patterns of neural activity.

Devices and Accessories1

About the Experiment

What Will You Learn?

What Will You Learn?

  • How touch activates somatosensory neurons.
  • The role of mechanoreceptors in converting physical stimuli into neural signals.
  • How to record and analyze neural responses to gentle tactile inputs.
Background

Background

Mechanoreceptors detect touch, pressure and vibration, turning these mechanical events into electrical impulses. In cockroach sensory hairs, each gentle tap elicits a reproducible spike train, revealing how the nervous system encodes tactile information.

Procedure

  1. Preparation:

    1. Anesthetize a cockroach briefly and remove one leg.
    2. Mount the leg securely on cork or balsa wood.
    Preparation:

  2. Electrode Placement:

    1. Insert two electrode pins into the area rich in sensory hairs.
    2. Apply conductive gel for good contact.
    Electrode Placement:

  3. Baseline Recording:

    1. Connect the electrodes to the Neuron SpikerBox.
    2. Record a brief baseline of spontaneous neural activity.
    Baseline Recording:

  4. Tactile Stimulation:

    1. Gently touch sensory hairs with a fine toothpick.
    2. Observe spike trains corresponding to each touch.
    3. Repeat multiple times to confirm consistent responses.
    Tactile Stimulation:

Results & Analysis

Analyze spike timing and frequency after each tactile event. Compare changes when varying stimulus location or force to understand receptor sensitivity and neural coding of touch.