Mechanical Stimulation of the Fingertip Can Induce Bursts of &bgr; Oscillations in Sensorimotor Areas
Summary Short mechanical stimulation of the fingertip was studied in 10 subjects using 34 closely spaced EEG electrodes overlying sensorimotor areas. The tactile skin stimulation device consisted of a dot matrix printer head. Each stimulus lasted 10 msec with an interstimulus interval of 4 seconds. Tactile stimulation induced &bgr; oscillations, which were largest in the 16 to 20-Hz band, with a maximum centered within 1 second after stimulation. These &bgr; oscillations were found over both hemispheres with a clear dominance over the contralateral hand representation area.