Body in Mind: A New Look at the Somatosensory Cortices

How do we perceive our body and where is it represented in our brain? Since decades it has been known that the primary somatosensory cortex (or SI) codes the surface of our body in a topographical way. Classic studies understand this body map representation in SI as fix and reflecting the physical location of peripheral stimulation in the form of the famous somatosensory homunculus. This book reports results of recent studies that challenge this view and suggest a more complex role of SI.