High Temporal Resolution Neuroimaging of Attentional and Somatosensory-Motor Processing in the Human Brain

Recent advances in neuroimaging techniques have unveiled the functional localization and timing of neural activations associated with a variety of brain functions. This review focuses on the timing of neural activations related to attentional and sensory-motor functions in the somatosensory system as revealed by high-temporal resolution neuroimaging studies using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). We will briefly review basic concepts of EEG and MEG, and then EEG and MEG studies of attention and somatosensorymotor interaction while referring to previous studies using other techniques. Findings from patients with movement disorders will be also summarized. An overview of these studies shows that EEG and MEG are helpful to reveal cortical dynamics of attentional and sensory-motor processing in the human brain and potentially a powerful tool to evaluate the pathophysiology of relevant disorders.