27: The Little Man In The Brain: The Sensory Homunculus

Til Luchau and Whitney Lowe discuss the most famous (yet, unreplicated) illustration in neuroscience, the sensorimotor homunculus, which purports to show the proportion of the brain dedicated to each body part. Is it accurate? 

Episode topics include: 

• Is the cortical homunculus a map, or the territory? 
• How did it come about? Penfield's methods and limitations. 
• How might this all apply to manual therapy and massage? 

Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

Resources and references discussed in this episode: 

• Catani, Marco. 2017. “A Little Man of Some Importance.” Brain 140 (11): 3055–61. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx270. 
• Schabrun, Siobhan M., Edith L. Elgueta-Cancino, and Paul W. Hodges. 2017. “Smudging of the Motor Cortex Is Related to the Severity of Low Back Pain:” SPINE 42 (15): 1172–78. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000000938. 
• Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
• Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com 

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Episode image from a sculpture by Sharon Price-James (public domain image). 

(The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)