How can the Brain tell a sensation in the index finger apart from one in the middle finger?

Question

As they’re ultimately both being communicated via the median nerve

In: 5

Answer 1

Knowing how those bundles of cables work, where they originate, and where they end is fascinating and one of the reasons I love being a Neurosurgery Physician Assistant.

When I take a patients history and examine them, I can tell them (most of the time) which nerve is being pinched based on reflexes, muscle strength, and sensation. For instance biceps, and wrist flexor weakness with decreased sensation between the thumb and first finger is most likely a disc herniation compressing the C6 nerve.

If you really want to have your mind boggled, look at a diagram of the brachial plexus and try to follow the nerve paths through it as they leave the neck and travel down the arm.