Ntroduction

The somatosensory system informs the body about tactile, thermal, proprioceptive (body position, movement), and nociceptive (pain) information. This system also monitors the temperature of the body, external objects, and envi­ronment, and provides information about painful, itchy, and tickling stimuli. In general, the somatosensory sys­tems inform us about objects in our external environment through touch (i.e., physical contact with the skin) and about the position and movement of our body parts (propriocep­tion) through the muscle and joints.

11.2