Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MSc)

Department

Psychology

Program Name/Specialization

Cognitive Neuroscience

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Dr. Philip Servos

Advisor Role

Research Supervisor

Abstract

New research on the tactile system has suggested that cortical representations of body parts are not fixed, as previously thought, and are instead dynamically maintained through constant sensorimotor information and feedback. Within the somatosensory cortex (S1), the capacity for both permanent and temporary changes have been the topic of ongoing research. The current study aimed to corroborate whether 24 hours of a finger adhesion manipulation is sufficient to elicit behavioural and electrophysiological correlates from cortical reorganization of digit representations in S1, using a behavioural paradigm outlined by Kolasinski et al. (2016). Through electroencephalography (EEG) recording during a tactile discrimination task, researchers assessed event-related potentials (ERPs) across two sessions and conditions, with half of the participants having their right index and middle fingers taped together between sessions and the remaining participants staying unbound. Two 2x2x3x8 mixed factorial ANOVAs were run to determine whether any differences in behavioural performance or ERP component amplitudes existed across sessions, conditions, digit pairs, or inter-stimulus intervals (ISI). In the behavioural ANOVA a main effect of ISI (p = 0.0048) was observed, as well as an interaction effect between Day, ISI, and Digit Pair (p = 0.044), and an interaction between Condition, Day, ISI, and Digit Pair on discrimination performance was observed (p = 0.044). In the ERP ANOVA a statistically significant interaction effect between Digit Pair and ISI on mean P215 component amplitude was seen (p = 0.0002).

Convocation Year

2026

Convocation Season

Spring

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