KEY POINTS * Object manipulation tasks comprise sequentially organized action phases that are generally delineated by distinct mechanical contact events representing task subgoals. To

achieve these subgoals, the brain selects and implements action-phase controllers that use sensory predictions and afferent signals to tailor motor output in anticipation of requirements

imposed by objects' physical properties. * Crucial control operations are centred on events that mark transitions between action phases. At these events, the CNS both receives and makes

predictions about sensory information from multiple sources. Mismatches between predicted and actual sensory outcomes can be used to quickly and flexibly launch corrective actions as

is encoded and processed by the brain for the rapid detection and analysis of contact events. Recent evidence suggests that the relative timing of spikes in ensembles of tactile afferents

provides such information fast enough to account for the speed with which tactile signals are used in object manipulation tasks. * Contact events in manipulation can also be represented in

the visual and auditory modalities and this enables the brain to simultaneously evaluate sensory predictions in different modalities. Multimodal representations of subgoal events also

provide an opportunity for the brain to learn and uphold sensorimotor correlations that can be exploited by action-phase controllers. * A current challenge is to learn how the brain

implements the control operations that support object manipulations, such as processes involved in detecting sensory mismatches, triggering corrective actions, and creating, recruiting and

linking different action-phase controllers during task progression. The signal processing in somatosensory pathways for dynamic context-specific decoding of tactile afferent messages needs

to be better understood, as does the role of the descending control of these pathways. ABSTRACT During object manipulation tasks, the brain selects and implements action-phase controllers

that use sensory predictions and afferent signals to tailor motor output to the physical properties of the objects involved. Analysis of signals in tactile afferent neurons and central

processes in humans reveals how contact events are encoded and used to monitor and update task performance. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription

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ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS EFFICIENT TACTILE ENCODING OF OBJECT

SLIPPAGE Article Open access 01 August 2022 SENSORIMOTOR MEMORIES INFLUENCE MOVEMENT KINEMATICS BUT NOT ASSOCIATED TACTILE PROCESSING Article Open access 20 October 2023 NORMAL AND

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Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Swedish Research Council (project 08667), the sixth Framework Program of the EU (project IST-028056), and the Canadian Institutes of

Health Research supported this work. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Physiology Section, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

Roland S. Johansson * Department of Psychology and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, K7L 3N6, Ontario, Canada J. Randall Flanagan Authors * Roland S.

Johansson View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * J. Randall Flanagan View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed 

Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Roland S. Johansson. GLOSSARY * Tactile afferents Fast-conducting myelinated afferent neurons that convey signals to the brain from

low-threshold mechanoreceptors in body areas that actively contact objects — that is, the inside of the hand, the sole of the foot, the lips, the tongue and the oral mucosa. * Proprioceptive

afferents Fast-conducting myelinated afferents that provide information about joint configurations and muscle states. These include mechanoreceptive afferents from the hairy skin, muscles,

joints and connective tissues. * Action-phase controller A learned sensorimotor 'control policy' that uses specific sensory information and sensory predictions to generate motor

commands to attain a sensory goal. * Sensorimotor control point A planned contact event in which predicted and actual sensory signals are compared to assess the outcome of an executed

action-phase controller. * Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). A non-invasive technique that can be used to induce a transient interruption of normal activity in a restricted area of

the brain. It is based on the generation of a magnetic pulse near the area of interest that induces small eddy currents that stimulate neurons. * Grasp stability The control of grip forces

such that they are adequate to prevent accidental slips but not so large that they cause unnecessary fatigue or damage to the object or hand. * Forward internal models Neural circuits that

mimic the behaviour of the motor system and environment and capture the mapping between motor commands and expected sensory consequences. * Corollary discharge An internal signal, derived in

part from motor commands, that can be used to estimate the time-varying afferent input that corresponds to the predicted sensory consequences of the motor command. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS

Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Johansson, R., Flanagan, J. Coding and use of tactile signals from the fingertips in object manipulation tasks. _Nat Rev

Neurosci_ 10, 345–359 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2621 Download citation * Published: 08 April 2009 * Issue Date: May 2009 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2621 SHARE THIS ARTICLE

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