 Abstract load theory suggests that neural activation to distractions in early sensory cortices is affected by the amount of attention required for a primary task, regardless of whether the distraction shares the same sensory modality as the primary task. This theory has been tested using FMI scans to measure the effect of visual perceptual load on somatosensory stimulation. The results showed that somatosensory stimulations did not produce any significant differences in brain activity when presented alongside a visual task requiring high levels of attention, suggesting that somatosensory stimulations are less likely to be affected by visual perceptual load than other types of stimulus. This article was authored by Antia Peters, Laura Brockhoff, Maximilian Brotschmann, and others.