Abstract:
The human somatosensory system processes a seemingly vast array of tactile qualities, including pressure, vibration, texture, and shape, posing a significant challenge to understanding the principles of efficient neural encoding.1 This paper introduces the
Unidimensional Tactile Field Theory (UTFT), a novel framework that reconceptualizes this process. UTFT postulates that the somatosensory system, rather than operating on a high-dimensional set of parallel “labeled lines,” performs a radical dimensionality reduction at the periphery. All mechanosensory information is initially encoded as a single, time-varying scalar value. This unidimensional signal is conceptualized as the aggregate temporal information rate from the entire population of activated peripheral afferents. The theory details how this signal is processed through a cascade of neural structures: from the spinal dorsal horn, which functions as a spatiotemporal filter, to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), which represents the signal as a dynamic field across a two-dimensional manifold corresponding to the body surface. We argue that complex tactile qualia are not directly sensed but are reconstructed by higher-order cortical areas through computational analysis of this field’s dynamics, integrated with stored, predictive body models.3 This framework offers a parsimonious explanation for tactile perception, aligns with fundamental principles of dimensionality reduction observed in other complex systems 5, and generates specific, testable predictions for future neurophysiological experiments
Yıldırım, E. (2025). Unidimensional Tactile Field Theory: A Dimensionality Reduction Model of Somatosensation. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17047680
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