Plasticity / Learning: Tactile Plasticity

How are neural structures subserving tactile processing reorganized through learning or injury? How do neural changes affect tactile perception? Which rules govern the improvement of tacile and haptic skills?

Learning-induced plasticity

  • Perceptual learning, role of motivation and attention
  • Learning through passive stimulation, optimization of stimulation parameters
  • Cortical mechanisms of learning, pharmacology of learning
  • Relation between changed perception <–> reorganisation
  • Role of cortical excitabilityt




Injury-induced plasticity

  • Implications of brain injury
  • Treatment of brain injury through umbilicord bloodcells (Cooperation Jun. Prof. Dr. C: Meier

Head of Project - "Perceptual Learning & EEG":  Dr. Tobias Kalisch
Head of Project - "Electrophysiology":  Dr. Klaus Kreikemeier

Lead Researchers

David, Marianne, PhD
Gatica, Mario, MD, PhD
Kalisch, Tobias, PhD
Schlieper, Sandra
Kattenstroth, Jan-Christoph, PhD

Representative Publications

Dinse HR (2011) | Spinger, New York, pp 85-120

Brain Plasticity and Touch

Dinse HR, Kattenstroth JC, Tegenthoff M, Kalisch T (2011) | Hippocampus Verlag, pp 17-43

Plastizität, motorisches Lernen und sensible Stimulation

Lissek S, Wilimzig C, Stude P, Pleger B, Kalisch T, Maier C, Peters SA, Nicolas V, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR (2009) | Curr Biol 19: 837–842

Immobilization impairs tactile perception and shrinks somatosensory cortical maps

Kalisch T, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR (2009) | Front Neurosci 3: 96-97

Sensory stimulation therapy

Benali A, Weiler E, Benali Y, Dinse HR, Eysel UT (2008) | J Neurosci 28: 12284-12293

Excitation and inhibition jointly regulate cortical reorganization in adult rats

Bliem B, Müller FM, Dinse HR, Ziemann U (2008) | J Cogn Neurosci 20: 1517-1528

Homeostatic metaplasticity in human somatosensory cortex

Ragert P, Kalisch T, Bliem B, Franzkowiak S, Dinse HR (2008) | BMC Neurosci 9:9

Differential effects in human tactile discrimination behavior evoked by tactile high- and low-frequency stimulation

Schwenkreis P, El Tom S, Ragert P, Pleger B, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR (2007) | Europ J Neurosci 26:3291-3302

Behavioral consequences of interhemispherical asymmetries in the sensorimotor cortex of violin players.

Kalisch T, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR (2007) | BMC Neurosci 8: 58

Differential effects of synchronous and asynchronous multifinger coactivation on human tactile performance.

Bliem B, Frombach E, Ragert R, Knossalla F, Woitalla D, Tegenthoff M, Dinse HR (2007) | Exp Brain Res 181: 131-137

Dopaminergic influences on changes in human tactile acuity induced by tactile coactivation

Seitz A, Dinse HR (2007) | Curr Op Neurobiol 17: 148-153

A common framework for perceptual learning.

Meier C, Middelanis J, Wasielewski B, Neuhoff S, Roth-Haerer A, Gantert M, Dinse HR, Dermietzel R, Jensen A (2006) | Pediatr Res 59: 244-249

Spastic paresis after perinatal brain damage in rats is reduced by human cord blood mononuclear cells.

Ragert P, Schmid A, Altenmueller E, Dinse HR (2004) | Europ J Neurosci 19: 473-478

Superior tactile performance and learning in professional pianists: Evidence for meta-plasticity in musicians.

Pleger B, Foerster AF, Ragert P, Dinse HR, Schwenkreis P, Nicolas V, Tegenthoff M (2003) | Neuron 40: 643-653

Functional imaging of perceptual learning in human primary and secondary somatosensory cortex.

Reinecke S, Dinse HR, Reinke H, Witte OW (2003) | Europ J Neurosci 17: 623 – 627

Induction of bilateral plasticity in sensory cortical maps by small unilateral cortical infarcts in rats.

Dinse HR, Ragert P, Pleger B, Schwenkreis P, Tegenthoff M (2003) | Science 301: 91-94

Pharmacological modulation of perceptual learning and associated cortical reorganization

Pleger B, Dinse HR, Ragert P, Schwenkreis P, Malin JP, Tegenthoff M (2001) | Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98: 12255-12260

Shifts in cortical representations predict human discrimination improvement.