Explain how tactile stimuli reach the brain and how the brain is able to detect what part of the body was touched.

Answer:

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Once tactile stimuli are converted into neural signals by the sensory receptors in the skin, the sensory nerves carry the signals to the spinal cord. They are then carried to the thalamus for initial processing. From the thalamus, the majority of neural signals concerning touch are relayed to the somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe. The brain determines where the body was touched based on the location of the sensory nerves that sense the touch stimuli. Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Once tactile stimuli is converted into neural signals by the sensory receptors in the skin, the sensory nerves carry the signals to the spinal cord. They are then carried to the thalamus for initial processing. From the thalamus, the majority of neural signals concerning touch are relayed to the somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe. The brain determines where the body was touched based on the location of the sensory nerves that sense the touch stimuli.