The Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system has many responsibilities. Beyond the obvious need to bring to consciousness the events that occur along the skin surface, this system provides an organism with knowledge of where it is in space, and it provides the motor system with feedback to control and coordinate action. Those are functions so diverse that minute variations on a common theme cannot accomplish them all. That is, the many demands on the somatosensory system cannot be met by subtle changes in gene expression or pattern of synapses or location of cell bodies. As a result, single neurons, large ensembles and groups of interconnected regions in the somatosensory system use different tactics and strategies to achieve the goals of perception, homeostasis and sensory guidance of movement.