Search

Highlights • Left anodal galvanic vestibular stimulation increased tactile sensitivity. • No effects induced by sham stimulation or right anodal galvanic vestibular stimulation. • Even brief (100 ms) pulses of vestibular stimulation enhanced somatosensory detection. • Vestibular projections in the right hemisphere modulates somatosensory processing., The vestibular system has widespread interactions with other sensory modalities. Here we investigate whether vestibular stimulation modulates somatosensory function, by assessing the ability to detect faint tactile stimuli to the fingertips of the left and right hand with or without galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). We found that left anodal and right cathodal GVS, significantly enhanced sensitivity to mild shocks on either hand, without affecting response bias. There was no such effect with either right anodal and left cathodal GVS or sham stimulation. Further, the enhancement of somatosensory sensitivity following GVS does not strongly depend on the duration of GVS, or the interval between GVS and tactile stimulation. Vestibular inputs reach the somatosensory cortex, increasing the sensitivity of perceptual circuitry.