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Overvliet KE, Postma A, Röder B. Child development and the role of visual experience in the use of spatial and non-spatial features in haptic object perception. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 242:105885. [PMID: 38471382 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Previous work has suggested a different developmental timeline and role of visual experience for the use of spatial and non-spatial features in haptic object recognition. To investigate this conjecture, we used a haptic ambiguous odd-one-out task in which one object needed to be selected as being different from two other objects. The odd-one-out could be selected based on four characteristics: size, shape (spatial), texture, and weight (non-spatial). We tested sighted children from 4 to 12 years of age; congenitally blind, late blind, and adult participants with low vision; and normally sighted adults. Given the protracted developmental time course for spatial perception, we expected a shift from a preference for non-spatial features toward spatial features during typical development. Due to the dominant influence of vision for spatial perception, we expected congenitally blind adults to show a similar preference for non-spatial features as the youngest children. The results confirmed our first hypothesis; the 4-year-olds demonstrated a lower dominance for spatial features for object classification compared with older children and sighted adults. In contrast, our second hypothesis was not confirmed; congenitally blind adults' preferred categorization criteria were indistinguishable from those of sighted controls. These findings suggest an early development, but late maturation, of spatial processing in haptic object recognition independent of visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista E Overvliet
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Albert Postma
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad 500 034, India
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Guran CNA, Boch M, Sladky R, Lonardo L, Karl S, Huber L, Lamm C. Functional mapping of the somatosensory cortex using noninvasive fMRI and touch in awake dogs. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02798-0. [PMID: 38642083 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02798-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Dogs are increasingly used as a model for neuroscience due to their ability to undergo functional MRI fully awake and unrestrained, after extensive behavioral training. Still, we know rather little about dogs' basic functional neuroanatomy, including how basic perceptual and motor functions are localized in their brains. This is a major shortcoming in interpreting activations obtained in dog fMRI. The aim of this preregistered study was to localize areas associated with somatosensory processing. To this end, we touched N = 22 dogs undergoing fMRI scanning on their left and right flanks using a wooden rod. We identified activation in anatomically defined primary and secondary somatosensory areas (SI and SII), lateralized to the contralateral hemisphere depending on the side of touch, and importantly also activation beyond SI and SII, in the cingulate cortex, right cerebellum and vermis, and the sylvian gyri. These activations may partly relate to motor control (cerebellum, cingulate), but also potentially to higher-order cognitive processing of somatosensory stimuli (rostral sylvian gyri), and the affective aspects of the stimulation (cingulate). We also found evidence for individual side biases in a vast majority of dogs in our sample, pointing at functional lateralization of somatosensory processing. These findings not only provide further evidence that fMRI is suited to localize neuro-cognitive processing in dogs, but also expand our understanding of in vivo touch processing in mammals, beyond classically defined primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- C-N Alexandrina Guran
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Magdalena Boch
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ronald Sladky
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucrezia Lonardo
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabrina Karl
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Qu JH, Shou CC, He X, Wang Q, Fang YX. Analysis of acupoint massage combined with touch on relieving anxiety and pain in patients with oral implant surgery. World J Psychiatry 2024; 14:533-540. [PMID: 38659606 PMCID: PMC11036460 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i4.533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oral implant surgery is an effective procedure for artificial implants in missing tooth areas under local anesthesia. Because patients under local anesthesia are conscious during this procedure, compared with general anesthesia-related operations, they are more likely to experience negative emotions, such as anxiety and tension. These emotional reactions result in shivering and chills in the limbs, leading to poor doctor-patient cooperation and even avoidance of treatment. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that acupoint massage regulates blood and Qi, dredge menstruation, and relieve pain, which is beneficial for patients' emotional adjustment; however, there are few related clinical studies. AIM To observe the changes in anxiety and pain in patients with oral implant after acupoint massage combined with touch therapy. METHODS One hundred patients undergoing oral implantation in our hospital between May 2020 and May 2023 were randomly divided into control and study groups, according to a random number table, with 50 patients in each group. The control group received routine intervention, and the study group received acupoint massage combined with touch on the basis of the control group. Anxiety [assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)], pain severity, blood pressure, heart rate, and satisfaction were compared between the two groups. RESULTS Before intervention, the difference in MDAS score between the two groups was not significant (P > 0.05), while after the intervention, the MDAS scores decreased in both groups compared with those before the intervention (P < 0.05); the MDAS score of the study group was lower than that of the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The degree of pain in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressures or heart rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). The systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate in the intervention group, during and after the intervention, were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The total degree of satisfaction in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Acupoint massage combined with touch better relieves anxiety and pain in patients undergoing dental implant surgery, improving the perioperative comfort of these patients and ensuring safety and a smooth operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Hong Qu
- Department of Stomatology, Hangzhou Lin'an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Cheng-Cheng Shou
- Department of Software R&D, Hangzhou Broadlink Technology Co, Ltd., Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xin He
- Department of Stomatology, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular, Hangzhou Lin'an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yue-Xia Fang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Development, Hangzhou Lin'an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang Province, China
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Ambron E, Garcea FE, Cason S, Medina J, Detre JA, Coslett HB. The influence of hand posture on tactile processing: Evidence from a 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Cortex 2024; 173:138-149. [PMID: 38394974 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Although behavioral evidence has shown that postural changes influence the ability to localize or detect tactile stimuli, little is known regarding the brain areas that modulate these effects. This 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study explores the effects of touch of the hand as a function of hand location (right or left side of the body) and hand configuration (open or closed). We predicted that changes in hand configuration would be represented in contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and the anterior intraparietal area (aIPS), whereas change in position of the hand would be associated with alterations in activation in the superior parietal lobule. Multivoxel pattern analysis and a region of interest approach partially supported our predictions. Decoding accuracy for hand location was above chance level in superior parietal lobule (SPL) and in the anterior intraparietal (aIPS) area; above chance classification of hand configuration was observed in SPL and S1. This evidence confirmed the role of the parietal cortex in postural effects on touch and the possible role of S1 in coding the body form representation of the hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Ambron
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, USA; Department Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Frank E Garcea
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA; Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, USA.
| | - Samuel Cason
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, USA; Department Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jared Medina
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, USA
| | - John A Detre
- Department Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - H Branch Coslett
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, USA; Department Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, USA
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Stevens L, Bregulla M, Scheele D. Out of touch? How trauma shapes the experience of social touch - Neural and endocrine pathways. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105595. [PMID: 38373642 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Trauma can shape the way an individual experiences the world and interacts with other people. Touch is a key component of social interactions, but surprisingly little is known about how trauma exposure influences the processing of social touch. In this review, we examine possible neurobiological pathways through which trauma can influence touch processing and lead to touch aversion and avoidance in trauma-exposed individuals. Emerging evidence indicates that trauma may affect sensory touch thresholds by modulating activity in the primary sensory cortex and posterior insula. Disturbances in multisensory integration and oxytocin reactivity combined with diminished reward-related and anxiolytic responses may induce a bias towards negative appraisal of touch contexts. Furthermore, hippocampus deactivation during social touch may reflect a dissociative state. These changes depend not only on the type and severity of the trauma but also on the features of the touch. We hypothesise that disrupted touch processing may impair social interactions and confer elevated risk for future stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Stevens
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Madeleine Bregulla
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk Scheele
- Social Neuroscience, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
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Devecioğlu İ, Karakulak E. Three Sliding Probes Placed on Forelimb Skin for Proprioceptive Feedback Differentially yet Complementarily Contribute to Hand Gesture Detection and Object-Size Discrimination. Ann Biomed Eng 2024; 52:982-996. [PMID: 38246964 PMCID: PMC10940487 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03434-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of three sliding tactile probes placed on the forelimb skin to provide proprioceptive feedback for the detection of hand gestures and discrimination of object size. Tactile contactors representing the first three fingers were driven along the proximodistal axis by linear servo motors. Twenty healthy subjects were involved in the gesture detection test, with 10 of them also participating in the object-size discrimination task. Motors were controlled by computer in the first four sessions of the gesture detection experiment, while the fifth session utilized a sensorized glove. Both the volar and dorsal sides of the forearm were examined. In the object-size discrimination experiment, the method was exclusively assessed on the volar surface under four distinct feedback conditions, including all fingers and each finger separately. The psychophysical data were further analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM) to evaluate the specific contributions of each individual contactor. Subjects consistently outperformed the chance level in detecting gestures. Performance improved up to the third session, with better results obtained on the volar side. The performances were similar in the fourth and fifth sessions. The just noticeable difference for achieving a 75% discrimination accuracy was found to be 2.90 mm of movement on the skin. SEM analysis indicated that the contactor for the index finger had the lowest importance in gesture detection, while it played a more significant role in object-size discrimination. However, all fingers were found to be significant predictors of subjects' responses in both experiments, except for the thumb, which was deemed insignificant in object-size discrimination. The study highlights the importance of considering the partial contribution of each degree of freedom in a sensory feedback system, especially concerning the task, when designing such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- İsmail Devecioğlu
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Çorlu Faculty of Engineering, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Tekirdağ, Turkey.
| | - Ertuğrul Karakulak
- Department of Biomedical Device Technologies, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Tekirdağ, Turkey
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Xie MX, Lai RC, Xiao YB, Zhang X, Cao XY, Tian XY, Chen AN, Chen ZY, Cao Y, Li X, Zhang XL. Endophilin A2 controls touch and mechanical allodynia via kinesin-mediated Piezo2 trafficking. Mil Med Res 2024; 11:17. [PMID: 38475827 DOI: 10.1186/s40779-024-00520-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tactile and mechanical pain are crucial to our interaction with the environment, yet the underpinning molecular mechanism is still elusive. Endophilin A2 (EndoA2) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that is documented in the endocytosis pathway. However, the role of EndoA2 in the regulation of mechanical sensitivity and its underlying mechanisms are currently unclear. METHODS Male and female C57BL/6 mice (8-12 weeks) and male cynomolgus monkeys (7-10 years old) were used in our experiments. Nerve injury-, inflammatory-, and chemotherapy-induced pathological pain models were established for this study. Behavioral tests of touch, mechanical pain, heat pain, and cold pain were performed in mice and nonhuman primates. Western blotting, immunostaining, co-immunoprecipitation, proximity ligation and patch-clamp recordings were performed to gain insight into the mechanisms. RESULTS The results showed that EndoA2 was primarily distributed in neurofilament-200-positive (NF200+) medium-to-large diameter dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons of mice and humans. Loss of EndoA2 in mouse NF200+ DRG neurons selectively impaired the tactile and mechanical allodynia. Furthermore, EndoA2 interacted with the mechanically sensitive ion channel Piezo2 and promoted the membrane trafficking of Piezo2 in DRG neurons. Moreover, as an adaptor protein, EndoA2 also bound to kinesin family member 5B (KIF5B), which was involved in the EndoA2-mediated membrane trafficking process of Piezo2. Loss of EndoA2 in mouse DRG neurons damaged Piezo2-mediated rapidly adapting mechanically activated currents, and re-expression of EndoA2 rescued the MA currents. In addition, interference with EndoA2 also suppressed touch sensitivity and mechanical hypersensitivity in nonhuman primates. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal that the KIF5B/EndoA2/Piezo2 complex is essential for Piezo2 trafficking and for sustaining transmission of touch and mechanical hypersensitivity signals. EndoA2 regulates touch and mechanical allodynia via kinesin-mediated Piezo2 trafficking in sensory neurons. Our findings identify a potential new target for the treatment of mechanical pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man-Xiu Xie
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Ren-Chun Lai
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Yi-Bin Xiao
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Pain Research Center and Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Pain Research Center and Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xian-Ying Cao
- Engineering Technology Research Center for Elderly Health Management in Hainan Province, Haikou, 571137, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Tian
- College of Food Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - An-Nan Chen
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Pain Research Center and Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zi-Yi Chen
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Pain Research Center and Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yan Cao
- College of Food Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xiao Li
- College of Food Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Xiao-Long Zhang
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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Radziun D, Korczyk M, Szwed M, Ehrsson HH. Are blind individuals immune to bodily illusions? Somatic rubber hand illusion in the blind revisited. Behav Brain Res 2024; 460:114818. [PMID: 38135190 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Multisensory awareness of one's own body relies on the integration of signals from various sensory modalities such as vision, touch, and proprioception. But how do blind individuals perceive their bodies without visual cues, and does the brain of a blind person integrate bodily senses differently from a sighted person? To address this question, we aimed to replicate the only two previous studies on this topic, which claimed that blind individuals do not experience the somatic rubber hand illusion, a bodily illusion triggered by the integration of correlated tactile and proprioceptive signals from the two hands. We used a larger sample size than the previous studies and added Bayesian analyses to examine statistical evidence in favor of the lack of an illusion effect. Moreover, we employed tests to investigate whether enhanced tactile acuity and cardiac interoceptive accuracy in blind individuals could also explain the weaker illusion. We tested 36 blind individuals and 36 age- and sex-matched sighted volunteers. The results show that blind individuals do not experience the somatic rubber hand illusion based on questionnaire ratings and behavioral measures that assessed changes in hand position sense toward the location of the rubber hand. This conclusion is supported by Bayesian evidence in favor of the null hypothesis. The findings confirm that blind individuals do not experience the somatic rubber hand illusion, indicating that lack of visual experience leads to permanent changes in multisensory bodily perception. In summary, our study suggests that changes in multisensory integration of tactile and proprioceptive signals may explain why blind individuals are "immune" to the nonvisual version of the rubber hand illusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Radziun
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Marcin Szwed
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - H Henrik Ehrsson
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Nikbakht N. More Than the Sum of Its Parts: Visual-Tactile Integration in the Behaving Rat. Adv Exp Med Biol 2024; 1437:37-58. [PMID: 38270852 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-7611-9_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
We experience the world by constantly integrating cues from multiple modalities to form unified sensory percepts. Once familiar with multimodal properties of an object, we can recognize it regardless of the modality involved. In this chapter we will examine the case of a visual-tactile orientation categorization experiment in rats. We will explore the involvement of the cerebral cortex in recognizing objects through multiple sensory modalities. In the orientation categorization task, rats learned to examine and judge the orientation of a raised, black and white grating using touch, vision, or both. Their multisensory performance was better than the predictions of linear models for cue combination, indicating synergy between the two sensory channels. Neural recordings made from a candidate associative cortical area, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), reflected the principal neuronal correlates of the behavioral results: PPC neurons encoded both graded information about the object and categorical information about the animal's decision. Intriguingly single neurons showed identical responses under each of the three modality conditions providing a substrate for a neural circuit in the cortex that is involved in modality-invariant processing of objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nader Nikbakht
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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10
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Grossmann T, Fairhurst M. Genetic variability in the oxytocin system is linked to individual differences in cuddliness among human infants. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 159:106419. [PMID: 37856926 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Pleasant touch facilitates social interactions, affiliative behavior and emotional bonding, contributing to positive infant and child development. Oxytocin is presumed to play an important role in mediating these effects of pleasant touch on brain, body and behavior. However, little is known about the role the oxytocin system plays in pleasant touch during infancy. This study examined the hypothesis that genetic variability in the oxytocin system is linked to individual differences in infants' cuddliness operationalized as parent-reported behaviors indexing an infant's motivation to seek out and enjoy caregiver touch. Our results (N = 82) show that a polymorphism in CD38 (rs3796863), previously linked with increased release of oxytocin in adults, was associated with higher reported rates of cuddliness. In contrast, infants with CD38 genotype previously linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and reduced release of oxytocin in adults, was associated with lower rates of cuddliness. These findings support the hypothesis that, from early in human ontogeny, genetic variation in the oxytocin system is systematically linked to individual differences in the reported motivation to seek out, and the enjoyment of receiving, pleasant caregiver touch. This provides novel insights into the neurohormonal processes involved in pleasant touch.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Merle Fairhurst
- Center for the Tactile Internet, Dresden University of Technology, Germany
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11
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Navyte G, Gillmeister H, Kumari M. Interpersonal touch and the importance of romantic partners for older adults' neuroendocrine health. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 159:106414. [PMID: 37866125 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Interpersonal touch is an essential aspect of human interaction that has the ability to regulate physiological stress responses. Prolonged exposure to stress can have cumulative multiphysiological effects; for example, allostatic load. Despite the increased susceptibility of social isolation for older adults, there is a paucity of research on the efficacy of touch in regulating stress responses among this population. It is also unknown whether touch confers benefits regardless of the person with whom it is shared. This study investigates the difference in physiological stress based on the frequency of touch (hugs, holding, or other close physical contact) shared with romantic partners as compared to other close adults (family, friends, and neighbours) in an older adult population. Data were analysed from 1419 respondents (aged 57-85 years) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) in 2005-2006. Principal components analysis determined whether the eight markers of allostatic load measured in the NSHAP function as a singular system or as distinct components. Analyses revealed three components of allostatic load: metabolic, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine health. The results of multiple regression revealed that a higher frequency of interpersonal touch shared with romantic partners was associated with better neuroendocrine health (β = 0.13, p = 0.004) following adjustment for a variety of covariates (but not with better metabolic or cardiovascular health), with no associations apparent for touch from other close adults. These findings highlight the importance of promoting interpersonal touch with romantic partners for older adults' neuroendocrine health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Navyte
- Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Helge Gillmeister
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Meena Kumari
- Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
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Barbosa Escobar F, Wang QJ. Tasty vibes: Uncovering crossmodal correspondences between tactile vibrations and basic tastes. Food Res Int 2023; 174:113613. [PMID: 37986468 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The interest in crossmodal correspondences individually involving the senses of touch and taste has grown rapidly in the last few decades. Several correspondences involving different tactile dimensions (e.g., hardness/softness, roughness/smoothness) have been uncovered, such as those between sweetness and softness and between roughness and sourness. However, a dimension that has been long overlooked, despite its pervasiveness and importance in everyday experiences, relates to tactile vibrations. The present study aimed to fill this gap and investigate crossmodal correspondences between basic tastes and vibrations. In the present study (N = 72), we uncovered these associations by having participants sample basic taste (i.e., sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami) aqueous solutions and chose the frequency of vibrations, delivered via a consumer-grade subwoofer wristband on their dominant hand, that they most strongly associated with each taste. We found that sourness was most strongly associated with frequencies around 98 Hz, and that sweetness and umami were associated with frequencies around 77 Hz. These correspondences may, to different extents, be based on affective and semantic mechanisms. The findings have relevant implications for theoretical research on multisensory integration and perception and the potential future applications of these associations, through wearable technologies, to enhance eating experiences and promote healthier eating habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barbosa Escobar
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
| | - Qian Janice Wang
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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13
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Bresee CS, Belli HM, Luo Y, Hartmann MJZ. Comparative morphology of the whiskers and faces of mice (Mus musculus) and rats (Rattus norvegicus). J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245597. [PMID: 37577985 PMCID: PMC10617617 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding neural function requires quantification of the sensory signals that an animal's brain evolved to interpret. These signals in turn depend on the morphology and mechanics of the animal's sensory structures. Although the house mouse (Mus musculus) is one of the most common model species used in neuroscience, the spatial arrangement of its facial sensors has not yet been quantified. To address this gap, the present study quantifies the facial morphology of the mouse, with a particular focus on the geometry of its vibrissae (whiskers). The study develops equations that establish relationships between the three-dimensional (3D) locations of whisker basepoints, whisker geometry (arclength, curvature) and the 3D angles at which the whiskers emerge from the face. Additionally, the positions of facial sensory organs are quantified relative to bregma-lambda. Comparisons with the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) indicate that when normalized for head size, the whiskers of these two species have similar spacing density. The rostral-caudal distances between facial landmarks of the rat are a factor of ∼2.0 greater than the mouse, while the scale of bilateral distances is larger and more variable. We interpret these data to suggest that the larger size of rats compared with mice is a derived (apomorphic) trait. As rodents are increasingly important models in behavioral neuroscience, the morphological model developed here will help researchers generate naturalistic, multimodal patterns of stimulation for neurophysiological experiments and allow the generation of synthetic datasets and simulations to close the loop between brain, body and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris S. Bresee
- Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208,USA
| | - Hayley M. Belli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering,Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Yifu Luo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering,Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208,USA
| | - Mitra J. Z. Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering,Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering,Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208,USA
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14
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Carmichael CL, Mizrahi M. Connecting cues: The role of nonverbal cues in perceived responsiveness. Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 53:101663. [PMID: 37572551 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Nonverbal cues powerfully shape interpersonal experiences with close others; yet, there has been minimal cross-fertilization between the nonverbal behavior and close relationships literatures. Using examples of responsive nonverbal behavior conveyed across vocal, tactile, facial, and bodily channels of communication, we illustrate the utility of assessing and isolating their effects to differentiate the contributions of verbal and nonverbal displays of listening and responsiveness to relationship outcomes. We offer suggestions for methodological approaches to better capture responsive behavior across verbal and nonverbal channels, and discuss theoretical and practical implications of carrying out this work to better clarify what makes people feel understood, validated, listened to, and cared for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl L Carmichael
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
| | - Moran Mizrahi
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, 3 Kiryat HaMada, Ariel 40700, Israel.
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15
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Marsico P, Meier L, van der Linden ML, Mercer TH, van Hedel HJA. Feasibility, Validity, and Reliability of Lower Limb Tactile and Body Awareness Assessments in Children With Upper Motor Neuron Lesions. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2023; 104:1447-1455. [PMID: 36935032 DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2023.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the feasibility, discriminative and convergent validity, and inter-rater reliability of a lower limb tactile function and 2 body awareness assessments in children with upper motor neuron (UMN) lesions. DESIGN Cross-sectional psychometric study. SETTING Pediatric rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS Forty individuals with UMN lesions (mean age 11.7 years, SD 3.4 years; 27 girls) and 40 neurotypically developing children of the same age participated (N=80). INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We assessed the tactile threshold (TT) with monofilaments and body awareness with tactile localization tasks (TLTs) for structural (TLTaction) and spatial (TLTperception) body representation at the foot sole. We compared the test outcomes between children with UMN lesions and neurotypically developing children with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Furthermore, we quantified the relations between the 3 tests with Spearman correlations (rs) and the interrater reliability with quadratic weighted kappa (κQW). RESULTS About 80% of the children with UMN lesions perceived the tests easy to perform. The children with UMN lesions had significantly reduced somatosensory function compared with the neurotypically developing children. For the more affected leg, we found good relations between the TT and the TLTaction (rs=0.71; P<.001) and between the 2 TLTs (rs=0.66; P<.001), and a fair relation between the TT and the TLTperception (rs=0.31; P=.06). The inter-rater reliability analyses for the sum scores showed almost perfect agreement for the TT (κQW more affected leg 0.86; less affected leg 0.81), substantial agreement for TLTaction (κQW more affected leg 0.76; less affected leg 0.63), and almost perfect agreement for TLTperception (κQW more affected leg 0.88; less affected leg 0.74). CONCLUSION The 3 tests are feasible to assess lower limb somatosensory function in children with UMN lesions. Discriminative and convergent validity and reliability of the 3 tests were confirmed. Further studies should investigate responsiveness and association with motor function of these outcome measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Marsico
- Research Department, Swiss Children's Rehab, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland; Children's Research Center CRC, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
| | - Lea Meier
- Research Department, Swiss Children's Rehab, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland; Children's Research Center CRC, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; ZHAW, Institute for Physiotherapy, Zürich University of Applied Studies, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Marietta L van der Linden
- Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Tom H Mercer
- Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Hubertus J A van Hedel
- Research Department, Swiss Children's Rehab, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland; Children's Research Center CRC, University Children's Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland
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16
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Kim J, Choi YI, Sohn JW, Kim SP, Jung SJ. Modeling Long-term Spike Frequency Adaptation in SA-I Afferent Neurons Using an Izhikevich-based Biological Neuron Model. Exp Neurobiol 2023; 32:157-169. [PMID: 37403224 DOI: 10.5607/en23005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To develop a biomimetic artificial tactile sensing system capable of detecting sustained mechanical touch, we propose a novel biological neuron model (BNM) for slowly adapting type I (SA-I) afferent neurons. The proposed BNM is designed by modifying the Izhikevich model to incorporate long-term spike frequency adaptation. Adjusting the parameters renders the Izhikevich model describing various neuronal firing patterns. We also search for optimal parameter values for the proposed BNM to describe firing patterns of biological SA-I afferent neurons in response to sustained pressure longer than 1-second. We obtain the firing data of SA-I afferent neurons for six different mechanical pressure ranging from 0.1 mN to 300 mN from the ex-vivo experiment on SA-I afferent neurons in rodents. Upon finding the optimal parameters, we generate spike trains using the proposed BNM and compare the resulting spike trains to those of biological SA-I afferent neurons using the spike distance metrics. We verify that the proposed BNM can generate spike trains showing long-term adaptation, which is not achievable by other conventional models. Our new model may offer an essential function to artificial tactile sensing technology to perceive sustained mechanical touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehun Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Young In Choi
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Jeong-Woo Sohn
- Department of Medical Science, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung 25601, Korea
| | - Sung-Phil Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Korea
| | - Sung Jun Jung
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
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17
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Stanley BM, Chen YC, Maurer D, Lewis TL, Shore DI. Developmental changes in audiotactile event perception. J Exp Child Psychol 2023; 230:105629. [PMID: 36731280 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The fission and fusion illusions provide measures of multisensory integration. The sound-induced tap fission illusion occurs when a tap is paired with two distractor sounds, resulting in the perception of two taps; the sound-induced tap fusion illusion occurs when two taps are paired with a single sound, resulting in the perception of a single tap. Using these illusions, we measured integration in three groups of children (9-, 11-, and 13-year-olds) and compared them with a group of adults. Based on accuracy, we derived a measure of magnitude of illusion and used a signal detection analysis to estimate perceptual discriminability and decisional criterion. All age groups showed a significant fission illusion, whereas only the three groups of children showed a significant fusion illusion. When compared with adults, the 9-year-olds showed larger fission and fusion illusions (i.e., reduced discriminability and greater bias), whereas the 11-year-olds were adult-like for fission but showed some differences for fusion: significantly worse discriminability and marginally greater magnitude and criterion. The 13-year-olds were adult-like on all measures. Based on the pattern of data, we speculate that the developmental trajectories for fission and fusion differ. We discuss these developmental results in the context of three non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks: sensory dominance, maximum likelihood estimation, and causal inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan M Stanley
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Yi-Chuan Chen
- Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City 252, Taiwan
| | - Daphne Maurer
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Terri L Lewis
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - David I Shore
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada; Multisensory Perception Laboratory, Division of Multisensory Mind Inc., Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
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18
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Wagman JB, Duffrin T. Perceiving multiple properties of a single person-probe-surface system. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023. [PMID: 36918508 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02671-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
We performed three experiments to investigate the extent to which people can selectively perceive different properties of a person-probe-surface system, and the extent to which such abilities are supported by sensitivities to different (components of) invariant mechanical parameters. Participants probed a surface with a wielded object and attempted to perceive an exteroceptive property of the probe (whole length), an exproprioceptive property of the probe (partial length), and an exteroceptive property of the surface (distance). After controlling for potential confounds, we found that participants were able to selectively perceive each of these properties, and that in each case, such abilities were supported by sensitivity to distinct components of mechanical invariants. The results suggest that people can selectively attend to properties both across and within components of a person-probe-surface system and are discussed in the context of the invariant mechanical parameters that support this ability.
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19
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Yamada A, Yamada AI, Ling J, Furue H, Luo W, Gu JG. Properties of Nav1.8 ChR2-positive and Nav1.8 ChR2-negative afferent mechanoreceptors in the hindpaw glabrous skin of mice. Mol Brain 2023; 16:27. [PMID: 36882762 PMCID: PMC9990257 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-01015-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Nav1.8-positive afferent fibers are mostly nociceptors playing a role in mediating thermal and mechanical pain, but mechanoreceptors within these afferents have not been fully investigated. In this study, we generated mice expressing channel rhodopsin 2 (ChR2) in Nav1.8-positive afferents (Nav1.8ChR2), which showed avoidance responses to mechanical stimulation and nocifensive responses to blue light stimulation applied to hindpaws. Using ex vivo hindpaw skin-tibial nerve preparations made from these mice, we characterized properties of mechanoreceptors on Nav1.8ChR2-positive and Nav1.8ChR2-negative afferent fibers that innervate the hindpaw glabrous skin. Of all Aβ-fiber mechanoreceptors, small portion was Nav1.8ChR2-positive. Of all Aδ-fiber mechanoreceptors, more than half was Nav1.8ChR2-positive. Of all C-fiber mechanoreceptors, almost all were Nav1.8ChR2-positive. Most Nav1.8ChR2-positive Aβ-, Aδ-, and C-fiber mechanoreceptors displayed slowly adapting (SA) impulses in response to sustained mechanical stimulation, and their mechanical thresholds were high in the range of high threshold mechanoreceptors (HTMRs). In contrast, sustained mechanical stimulation applied to Nav1.8ChR2-negative Aβ- and Aδ-fiber mechanoreceptors evoked both SA and rapidly adapting (RA) impulses, and their mechanical thresholds were in the range of low threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs). Our results provide direct evidence that in the mouse glabrous skin, most Nav1.8ChR2-negative Aβ-, Aδ-fiber mechanoreceptors are LTMRs involving in the sense of touch, whereas Nav1.8ChR2-positive Aβ-, Aδ-, and C-fiber mechanoreceptors are mainly HTMRs involving in mechanical pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Yamada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Ayaka I Yamada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Jennifer Ling
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Hidemasa Furue
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, 663-8501, Japan
| | - Wenqin Luo
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jianguo G Gu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
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20
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DeFalco A, Dolezal L. What is affective techno touch (and why does it matter)? Senses Soc 2023; 18:85-91. [PMID: 37332842 PMCID: PMC10273373 DOI: 10.1080/17458927.2023.2167420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
This Editors' Introduction defines the theme of 'affective technotouch' as referring to multidimensional embodied encounters with technologies which can trigger emotional and affective responses, while also being concerned with social, political, cultural and ethical dimensions of technological touch. With reference to neuroscience and developmental studies, we outline how touch is foundational in human experience. We then discuss contemporary technologies, such as haptic gadgets and care/companion robots, which illustrate the complexities of affective technotouch. Finally, we offer critical outlines of the six contributing articles to this Special Issue on Affective Technotouch.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luna Dolezal
- Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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21
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Mercuri M, Stack DM, Mantis I, Moszkowski R, Field TM. Maternal and infant touching behaviours during perturbed interactions: Associations with maternal depressive symptomatology and infant crying. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 71:101821. [PMID: 36758294 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Touch is an important means through which mothers and infants co-regulate during periods of stress or perturbation. The present study examined the synchrony of maternal and infant touching behaviours among 41 mother-infant dyads, some of whom were deemed at-risk due to maternal depressive symptomatology. Mothers and their 4-month-old infants participated in the Still-Face (maternal emotional unavailability; SF) and Separation (maternal physical unavailability; SP) procedures. Infant crying was examined across procedures and investigated as a brief period of perturbation. Results revealed that mothers and infants displayed a positive pattern of tactile synchrony (coordinated, analogous changes in touch) during infant crying episodes. However, dyads in the high depression group displayed significantly less affectionate touch during instances of infant crying. Furthermore, more depressive symptoms were associated with less maternal and infant touch and lower rates of infant crying. This group of dyads may be less expressive via touch, be less affected by disruptions in their interactions, have impaired regulatory abilities, or simply require minimal amounts of touch to mutually regulate following social stressors and during brief perturbation periods. These findings enrich our limited knowledge about the dynamic interplay of maternal and infant touch and inform preventative intervention programs for at-risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mercuri
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - D M Stack
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - I Mantis
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - R Moszkowski
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - T M Field
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami/Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
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22
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David Z, Nicolas M, Alexis G, Jennifer F. The effect of preconditioning on the modalities of pain management. Patient Educ Couns 2023; 107:107568. [PMID: 36434861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effect of positive preconditioning on the specific modality of verbal and touch interventions, in pain management. METHODS We compared pain ratings in 51 participants who underwent a cold pressor test twice (T1, T2). The results from the first test were used as a reference. For the second test, the participants were divided into 5 groups. Four groups received verbal or touch intervention during the test, with or without preconditioning. The fifth group was a control group. We compared dVAS (pain ratings at T1 minus T2) between groups to assess the effect of the interventions and the preconditioning. We also explored the within-group association between dVAS and pain-related traits. RESULTS We found a significant effect of preconditioning on dVAS. The post hoc test showed that the preconditioned verbal group reported higher dVAS than the non-preconditioned one. Participants' emotional awareness scores were negatively correlated with dVAS in the preconditioned touch group. CONCLUSION These data suggested that preconditioning enhances pain management, regardless of intervention modalities. However, the preconditioning effect for the touch modality was negatively associated with the participants' emotional awareness. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Communication must be adapted with caution, depending on the treatment and the patients' emotional status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarka David
- Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Moine Nicolas
- Research Unit in Motor Psychophysiology, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Erasme Campus, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Guidez Alexis
- Research Unit in Motor Psychophysiology, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Erasme Campus, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Foucart Jennifer
- Research Unit in Motor Psychophysiology, Faculty of Motor Sciences, Erasme Campus, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
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23
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Grant RA, Ryan H, Breakell V. Demonstrating a measurement protocol for studying comparative whisker movements with implications for the evolution of behaviour. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 384:109752. [PMID: 36435328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying natural, complex behaviours over a range of different species provides insights into the evolution of the brain and behaviour. Whisker movements reveal complex behaviours; however, there does not yet exist a protocol that is able to capture whisker movements and behaviours in a range of different species. NEW METHOD We develop a new protocol and make recommendations for measuring comparative whisker movements and behaviours. Using two set-ups - an enclosure camera set-up and a high-speed video set-up - we capture and measure the whisker movements of sixteen different captive mammal species from four different animal collections. RESULTS We demonstrate the ability to describe whisker movements and behaviours across a wide range of mammalian species. We describe whisker movements in European hedgehog, Cape porcupine, domestic rabbit, domestic ferret, weasel, European otter and red fox for the first time. We observe whisker movements in all the species we tested, although movement, positions and behaviours vary in a species-specific way. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S) The high-speed video set-up is based on the protocols of previous studies. The addition of an enclosure video set-up is entirely new, and allows us to include more species, especially large and shy species that cannot be moved into a high-speed filming arena. CONCLUSIONS We make recommendations for comparative whisker behaviour studies, particularly incorporating individual and species-specific considerations. We believe that flexible, comparative behavioural protocols have wide-ranging applications, specifically to better understand links between the brain and complex behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn A Grant
- Department of Natural Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.
| | - Hazel Ryan
- The Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Kent, United Kingdom
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24
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Garg P. Magic of the touch. Patient Educ Couns 2023; 106:210-211. [PMID: 36344319 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The article highlights the impact of physician's touch on the patient's psyche and healing process and more importantly, vice-versa. Not infrequently, this 'small' aspect is overlooked by the physicians but on deeper analysis, this 'small' gesture has profound impact on the patients as well as the physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Garg
- Garg Fistula Research Institute, Panchkula, Haryana, India.
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25
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Nist MD, Robinson A, Harrison TM, Pickler RH. An integrative review of clinician-administered comforting touch interventions and acute stress responses of preterm infants. J Pediatr Nurs 2022; 67:e113-e122. [PMID: 36137912 DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PROBLEM Preterm infants experience numerous stressors in the neonatal intensive care unit. Non-pharmacological interventions, including maternal comforting touch, reduce stress responses of preterm infants; however, the effects of clinician-administered comforting touch are unclear. The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize findings from clinical trials to determine the effect of clinician-administered comforting touch on preterm infants' acute stress responses. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Eligible clinical trials were published in English between 2001 and October 2021 and reported effects of clinician-administered comforting touch on acute stress responses in preterm infants. SAMPLE Thirty clinical trials were included. RESULTS Researchers tested the effect of comforting static touch, massage, massage with kinesthetic stimulation, sensorial saturation, and Yakson. There was significant heterogeneity in study design, comparison condition, and context of intervention delivery. Results varied; some studies demonstrated efficacy of comforting touch in reducing acute stress responses and others showed no effect. Generally, comforting touch provided during stressful procedures was associated with lower stress responses compared to standard care and was an effective adjunct to other stress management strategies. However, comforting touch alone was insufficient for managing pain, especially during skin-breaking procedures. CONCLUSIONS While comforting touch may be a useful part of stress management plans for preterm infants, additional research is needed to determine when comforting touch is appropriate and effective. IMPLICATIONS Comforting touch is beneficial to preterm infants and should be provided for stress management. For highly intrusive or painful procedures, comforting touch can be provided as part of a comprehensive stress management plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marliese Dion Nist
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, 1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Audrey Robinson
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, 1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Tondi M Harrison
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, 1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Rita H Pickler
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, 1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Chauhan ISJ, Cole JD, Berthoz A, Sarlegna FR. Dissociation between dreams and wakefulness: Insights from body and action representations of rare individuals with massive somatosensory deafferentation. Conscious Cogn 2022; 106:103415. [PMID: 36252519 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The realism of body and actions in dreams is thought to be induced by simulations based on internal representations used during wakefulness. As somatosensory signals contribute to the updating of body and action representations, these are impaired when somatosensory signals are lacking. Here, we tested the hypothesis that individuals with somatosensory deafferentation have impaired body and actions in their dreams, as in wakefulness. We questioned three individuals with a severe, acquired sensory neuropathy on their dreams. While deafferented participants were impaired in daily life, they could dream of themselves as able-bodied, with some sensations (touch, proprioception) and actions (such as running or jumping) which had not been experienced in physical life since deafferentation. We speculate that simulation in dreams could be based on former, "healthy" body and action representations. Our findings are consistent with the idea that distinct body and action representations may be used during dreams and wakefulness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishan-Singh J Chauhan
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Marseille, France; Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France.
| | - Jonathan D Cole
- Centre of Postgraduate Research and Education, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK
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Yellon T, Yellon D. Touching male patients - The challenge of orthodox Jewish female nursing students: A phenomenological study. Nurse Educ Today 2022; 117:105463. [PMID: 35842970 DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals from minority populations represent a growing percentage of the nursing workforce. Orthodox Jewish nurses are part of the Israeli nursing workforce, but scarce data and little research is available regarding the influence of nurses'; religious and cultural backgrounds on their interactions with patients. Research regarding touch between the sexes in a professional context refers mainly to male nurses touching female patients. The cultural context of touching patients has also been poorly investigated. OBJECTIVES Understanding orthodox Jewish female nursing student's experience of touching male patients. DESIGN Qualitative study. SETTINGS Four academic nursing programs in Israel. PARTICIPANTS Forty orthodox Jewish female nursing students, academic year 3-4. METHOD Descriptive phenomenological approach. Forty in depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken and analyzed according to themes. RESULTS Eight categories were identified. From these, three main themes emerged: Supervisor-student relationship (bullying/abuse), negative personal feelings (loneliness/helplines, lack of support, fears, cognitive dissonance) and coping strategies (being tested by God, improving one's self character, positive personal reflection). CONCLUSION These students presented with unique challenges facing male patients - which clinical instructors were unaware of. They used their cultural background as a source of power. Findings may be of global relevance for other nursing schools and health services where nurses come from religious backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Yellon
- Jerusalem College of Technology, Israel; Hadassah Medical Center, Israel.
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Abstract
Roughness is a perceptual attribute typically associated with certain stimuli that are presented in one of the spatial senses. In auditory research, the term is typically used to describe the harsh effects that are induced by particular sound qualities (i.e., dissonance) and human/animal vocalizations (e.g., screams, distress cries). In the tactile domain, roughness is a crucial factor determining the perceptual features of a surface. The same feature can also be ascertained visually, by means of the extraction of pattern features that determine the haptic quality of surfaces, such as grain size and density. By contrast, the term roughness has rarely been applied to the description of those stimuli perceived via the chemical senses. In this review, we take a critical look at the putative meaning(s) of the term roughness, when used in both unisensory and multisensory contexts, in an attempt to answer two key questions: (1) Is the use of the term 'roughness' the same in each modality when considered individually? and (2) Do crossmodal correspondences involving roughness match distinct perceptual features or (at least on certain occasions) do they merely pick-up on an amodal property? We start by examining the use of the term in the auditory domain. Next, we summarize the ways in which the term roughness has been used in the literature on tactile and visual perception, and in the domain of olfaction and gustation. Then, we move on to the crossmodal context, reviewing the literature on the perception of roughness in the audiovisual, audiotactile, and auditory-gustatory/olfactory domains. Finally, we highlight some limitations of the reviewed literature and we outline a number of key directions for future empirical research in roughness perception.
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29
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Picconi F, Ryan CP, Russo B, Ciotti S, Pepe A, Menduni M, Lacquaniti F, Frontoni S, Moscatelli A. The evaluation of tactile dysfunction in the hand in type 1 diabetes: a novel method based on haptics. Acta Diabetol 2022; 59:1073-1082. [PMID: 35641837 PMCID: PMC9242965 DOI: 10.1007/s00592-022-01903-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS We present an innovative method based on haptics for the evaluation of the sense of touch in the hand, in people affected by type 1 diabetes. METHODS Forty individuals affected by diabetes and 20 healthy controls took part in the study; the diabetes group was further divided into two subgroups based on vibration sensitivity in the lower limb. By means of a novel haptic device, tactile sensitivity in the fingertip was measured as the ability of the participants to discriminate slip motion speed. RESULTS Tactile sensitivity was significantly lower in individuals affected by diabetes as compared to controls. Depending on the subgroup, the difference from the controls was equal to 0.11 (95% CI from 0.029 to 0.186) and to 0.267 (95% CI from 0.198 to 0.336). Within the diabetes group, tactile sensitivity correlated with vibration sensitivity in the upper (p = 0.001) and lower limb (p = 0.003). A significant relationship between nerve conduction parameters and tactile sensitivity was found (p = 0.03). Finally, we combined the different predictors (clinical, vibratory and electroneurography data) by using cluster analysis; tactile sensitivity was found to be significantly different between different clusters (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Early signs of tactile dysfunction in the hand were found in individuals affected by diabetes, even in absence of diabetic neuropathy. The protocol presented in this study is a promising tool for the assessment of tactile dysfunction in the hand in people affected by type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Picconi
- Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, S. Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - C P Ryan
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - B Russo
- Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, S. Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - S Ciotti
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Research Centre "E. Piaggio" and Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - A Pepe
- Unit of Neurology, S. Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - M Menduni
- Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, S. Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - F Lacquaniti
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - S Frontoni
- Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, S. Giovanni Calibita, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
| | - A Moscatelli
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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O' Dowd A, Cooney SM, Newell FN. Self-reported vividness of tactile imagery for object properties and body regions: An exploratory study. Conscious Cogn 2022; 103:103376. [PMID: 35849942 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Mental imagery ability has been examined principally in the visual domain. Despite evidence for tactile mental representations in the absence of direct stimulation, this ability is poorly understood. We investigated tactile imagery for both active and passive tasks in a large sample (N = 118). Vividness of imagery was tested across two different tasks: somatosensory imagery (of body sensitivity) and tactile imagery (of object properties) in all participants. Evidence for vivid imagery across tactile and somatosensory dimensions was found with a positive, albeit weak, correlation in imagery strength between dimensions. Imagery ratings varied across objects and object properties in the tactile imagery task and across body sites in the somatosensory imagery task. These findings shed light on the capacity for, and characteristics of, tactile mental imagery in the general population and suggest that the ability to experience vivid tactile mental images may mediate performance across a number of perceptual tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- A O' Dowd
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
| | - S M Cooney
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland
| | - F N Newell
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
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31
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Devecioğlu İ. Psychophysical Evaluation of Proprioceptive Feedback Through a Probe Sliding on the Forearm Skin of Healthy Humans. Ann Biomed Eng 2022; 50:991-1000. [PMID: 35581510 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-022-02978-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
We have tested the forearm skin of humans as a target organ to deliver proprioceptive feedback via a tactile sensory substitution method. In the proposed method, a contactor probe was actuated by a linear servo motor and moved on the skin in proximo-distal axis depending on the angle of a virtual joint moving on a 180° arc. Twenty healthy subjects were tested to stop the joint at a given target under no-feedback, visual feedback, and tactile (dorsal and volar) feedback conditions. The absolute difference between the target and the response angle was recorded. Tests were repeated 4 times with ~ 1-week intervals. Two joint movement speeds were tested. The subjects performed best with visual feedback, and worst if no feedback was provided. Their performances with tactile feedback were not as good as in the visual feedback condition, but better than in the no-feedback condition. Subjects equally performed with volar and dorsal tactile feedback. The movement speed had no significant effects on tactile feedback. The performance improved with training only in tactile feedback conditions. The proprioceptive information from a motorized prosthesis can be provided through probes moving on the forearm skin, while the efficacy of the feedback may improve with extensive training.
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Affiliation(s)
- İsmail Devecioğlu
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, Silahtaraga Mh. Universite 1. Sk. No: 13, 59860, Çorlu, Tekirdag, Turkey.
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32
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Espenhahn S, Godfrey KJ, Kaur S, McMorris C, Murias K, Tommerdahl M, Bray S, Harris AD. Atypical Tactile Perception in Early Childhood Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2022:10.1007/s10803-022-05570-7. [PMID: 35482274 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05570-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We assessed different aspects of tactile perception in young children (3-6 years) with autism. Autistic and neurotypical children completed vibrotactile tasks assessing reaction time, amplitude discrimination (sequential and simultaneous) and temporal discrimination (temporal order judgment and duration discrimination). Autistic children had elevated and more variable reaction times, suggesting slower perceptual-motor processing speed and/or greater distractibility. Children with autism also showed higher amplitude discrimination and temporal order judgement thresholds compared to neurotypical children. Tactile perceptual metrics did not associate with social or tactile sensitivities measured by parent-reports. Altered tactile behavioral responses appear in early childhood, can be quantified but appear dissociated from sensitivity. This implies these measures are complementary, but not necessarily related, phenomena of atypical tactile perception in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Espenhahn
- Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary Alberta Children's Hospital, Office B4-512 28 Oki Drive NW, T3B 6A8, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Kate J Godfrey
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sakshi Kaur
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Carly McMorris
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kara Murias
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mark Tommerdahl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Signe Bray
- Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary Alberta Children's Hospital, Office B4-512 28 Oki Drive NW, T3B 6A8, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Ashley D Harris
- Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary Alberta Children's Hospital, Office B4-512 28 Oki Drive NW, T3B 6A8, Calgary, AB, Canada. .,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. .,Owerko Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. .,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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33
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Jewitt C, Mitchell V, Wilson G, Golmohammadi L, Atkinson D, Mackley KL, Price S. Supporting novice designers design of digital touch. Int J Technol Des Educ 2022; 33:191-216. [PMID: 35463804 PMCID: PMC9016211 DOI: 10.1007/s10798-021-09722-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Digitally mediated touch is an emerging and significant area for technology and therefore for design and design education. However, the design of digital touch is a challenge, especially for novice designers, compounded by low awareness and understanding of the sociality of touch and the complexity of communicating felt sensations. This paper presents a qualitative study of a two-part educational intervention on the design of digital touch using a design-based research methodology. Findings are presented and discussed on the design challenges faced by novice designers in relation to touch and digital touch (the focus of part one of the intervention) and the development and piloting of the Designing Digital Touch (DDT) toolkit (the outcome of part two). The paper discusses how the toolkit can be used to foster and support novice designers to respond to the future facing complexity of digital touch design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carey Jewitt
- UCL Knowledge Lab, Dept Culture, Communication & Media, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Val Mitchell
- School of Design & Creative Arts, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Garrath Wilson
- School of Design & Creative Arts, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Lili Golmohammadi
- UCL Knowledge Lab, Dept Culture, Communication & Media, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas Atkinson
- UCL Knowledge Lab, Dept Culture, Communication & Media, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kerstin Leder Mackley
- UCL Knowledge Lab, Dept Culture, Communication & Media, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Price
- UCL Knowledge Lab, Dept Culture, Communication & Media, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Thorgeirsdottir S. Luce Irigaray's Philosophy of the Child and Philosophical Thinking for a New Era. Sophia 2022; 61:203-218. [PMID: 38625223 PMCID: PMC9005918 DOI: 10.1007/s11841-022-00920-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
In her book To be Born (2017), Luce Irigaray offers a novel philosophy of the child. Instead of viewing the child as a bearer of rights and in need of adequate care as is common in contemporary philosophies of childhood, Irigaray presents the child as a metaphor of a new human being which represents natural belonging. The rearticulation of the human has been ongoing in Irigaray's philosophy from its beginnings with its efforts to give voice to the excluded, silenced, repressed feminine. Irigaray's phenomenological restructuring of subjectivity in her philosophy of sexuate difference is taken to a new level with her philosophy of the child. Her conception of the child is interpreted here in light of the experiential and affective turn within phenomenology and cognitive sciences about philosophical thinking as embodied and embedded thinking for a new era. Irigaray sheds light on the silencing and repressing of the child within us in an effort to enable us as adult beings to think from and with it. Philosophical thinking needs to be more consciously connected with the embodied sources of thought that are already present in early infancy and continue to be present in adult thinking as neglected or repressed experiential and affective layers of thought. Irigaray's philosophy of the child is a basis for a methodology of embodied philosophical thinking such as has been developed within Claire Petitmengin's microphenomenology and within Eugene Gendlin's methodology of philosophical thinking from the felt sense.
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Otterbring T, Bhatnagar R. Touch, threats, and transactions: Pandemic influences on consumer responses and the mediating role of touch likelihood when shopping for fruits and vegetables. Food Qual Prefer 2022; 97:104461. [PMID: 36567892 PMCID: PMC9759706 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced consumer behavior in numerous ways. Most of the public health measures have centered around minimizing social contact and physical touch. In the present study, we investigate the impact of such touch restrictions, introduced during the pandemic, on consumers' shopping responses and payment preferences in the context of a perishable food category amenable to tactile evaluation (fresh fruits and vegetables). The study used a single-factor between-subjects design (during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic), with the data collected in a scenario-based online experiment from a sample of 729 participants. The results revealed significantly less favorable shopping responses during (vs. before) the pandemic in terms of purchase likelihood, satisfaction levels, and purchase confidence. Touch likelihood mediated the link between pandemic condition and shopping responses, such that participants in the pandemic condition reported a significantly lower touch likelihood of fresh fruits and vegetables than their counterparts in the pre-pandemic condition, which ultimately resulted in less favorable shopping responses. Participants in the pandemic condition also reported a decreased preference for tangible payment options (cash), with a corresponding increase in preferences for contactless payment methods (credit card or mobile payment). These findings contribute to our understanding of whether and how tactile aspects may influence consumers' shopping responses, offering important implications for retailers and people working in the food industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Otterbring
- University of Agder, School of Business and Law, Department of Management, Universitetsveien 17, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway
- Institute of Retail Economics, Regeringsgatan 60, 103 29 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Roopali Bhatnagar
- Aarhus University, Department of Management, Fuglesangs Allé 4, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
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36
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Christensen IE, Risør MB, Grøn L, Reventlow S. Senses of Touch: The Absence and Presence of Touch in Health Care Encounters of Patients with Mental Illness. Cult Med Psychiatry 2022; 47:402-421. [PMID: 35301644 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-022-09770-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Touch is a fundamental sense and the most unexplored of the five senses, despite its significance for everything we do in relation to ourselves and others. Studies have shown that touch generates trust, care and comfort and is essential for constituting the body. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, this study explores the absence and presence of touch in interactions between people with mental illness and professionals, in health care encounters with general practitioners, neurologists and physiotherapists, as well as masseurs. We found that touch and physical examination of patients with mental illness is absent in health care encounters, leaving the patients with feelings of being out of place, misunderstood, less socially approved and less worthy of trust. Drawing on Honneth and Guenther, we conclude that touch and being touched is an essential dimension of recognition-both of the patients' bodily sensations and symptoms and of them as human beings, detached from the psychiatric label-as well as contributing to the constitution of self and personhood. These findings confirm that touch works as an existential hinge that affirms a connection between the patient, the body and others and gives a sense of time, space and existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iben Emilie Christensen
- The Research Unit for General Practice and Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O. Boks 2099, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark. .,VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Herluf Trolles Gade 11, 1052, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Mette Bech Risør
- The Research Unit for General Practice and Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O. Boks 2099, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark.,General Practice Research Unit, Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Breivika, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Lone Grøn
- VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Herluf Trolles Gade 11, 1052, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Susanne Reventlow
- The Research Unit for General Practice and Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O. Boks 2099, 1014, Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Sánchez-Solano KG, Reynoso-Cruz JE, Guevara R, Morales-Mávil JE, Laska M, Hernández-Salazar LT. Non-visual senses in fruit selection by the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). Primates 2022. [PMID: 35289382 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00984-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
There is extensive knowledge about the visual system and the implications of the evolution of trichromatic color vision in howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) related to food selection; however, information about the other sensory systems is limited. In this study we assessed the use of touch, sniffing, and taste in fruit evaluation by 20 adult mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) on Agaltepec Island, Mexico. During 9 months of observation, we recorded the frequency that each monkey used touch, sniffing, and taste in evaluating cryptic fruits (that remain green during their ripening process) and conspicuous fruits (with red, yellow, or orange colorations when they are ripe). Sucrose content and hardness measurements were made to establish the degree of ripeness of the fruits. We found that mantled howler monkeys used long behavioral sequences during conspicuous fruit investigations. Sniffing was used infrequently, but significantly more often in the evaluation of conspicuous-ripe and unripe fruits compared to cryptic-ripe and unripe fruits. During the evaluation of cryptic-ripe fruits, mantled howler monkeys increased the use of touch compared to evaluating cryptic-unripe fruits. We did not find significant differences in the use of taste in the evaluation of cryptic and conspicuous fruits (both ripe and unripe). Our results suggest that the non-visual senses play an essential role in fruit selection by howler monkeys, with differences in the behavioral strategy according to the fruit's conspicuity. The multimodal signals of ripe and unripe fruits allow the howler monkeys to assess their palatability before being consumed.
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Chen L, Ogalo E, Haldane C, Bristol SG, Berger MJ. Relationship Between Sensibility Tests and Functional Outcomes in Patients With Traumatic Upper Limb Nerve Injuries: A Systematic Review. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl 2022; 3:100159. [PMID: 34977541 PMCID: PMC8683869 DOI: 10.1016/j.arrct.2021.100159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To investigate which tests of hand sensibility correlate with functional outcomes in patients with upper limb traumatic nerve injuries and to assess if composite scales of sensibility correlate with functions. Data Sources MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched in May 2020, with a supplementary search in July 2020. Reference lists of the included publications were hand searched. Study Selection Database search found 2437 records. Eligible studies reported on inferential association between sensibility tests and functions pertaining to adults after upper limb nerve repair. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility. Fifteen publications were included. Data Extraction Extracted data contain patient characteristics, surgical procedure, follow-up duration, sensibility tests, and functional assessments. Two reviewers independently assessed data quality. Data Synthesis Fifteen publications involving 849 patients were reviewed. All publications reported on median and/or ulnar nerve injuries. Monofilament tests correlated with Short-Form Health Survey (r=0.548, P<.05), pick-up test (r=0.45, P<.05), and function domain of Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation Questionnaire (PRWHE) (r=0.58, P<.05). The 8 studies of static and moving 2-point discrimination provided conflicting correlations with activities of daily living (ADL) and/or the pick-up test. Data for area localization and object/shape identification were equivocal as well. No data were found for Ten test and vibration tests. Rosén score sensory domain correlated with ADL (r=0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.72) and PRWHE function domain (r=−0.56, P<.05). Medical Research Council sensory scale was related to pick-up test; return to work status; and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire. Conclusions Monofilament tests allow practitioners to gather sensibility data meaningful to patients’ overall recovery of functions after upper limb nerve trauma. For 2-point discrimination and other sensibility tests, practitioners should be aware that improvement in test performance does not necessarily translate to improved hand function. Findings from the composite scales indicate that hand sensibility, in general, is related to functions. Future research on other common sensibility tests is recommended to explore how the test relates to patients’ functions.
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Key Words
- 2-PD, 2-point discrimination
- ADL, activities of daily living
- Activities of daily living
- CI, confidence interval
- Correlation of data
- DASH, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
- MRC, Medical Research Council
- PNI, peripheral nerve injury
- PRWHE, Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation
- Peripheral nerve injuries
- Recovery of function
- Rehabilitation
- SF-36, Short Form-36 Health Survey
- SHFT, Sollerman Hand Function Test
- SWMF, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament
- Touch
- WEST, Weinstein Enhanced Sensory Test
- m, moving
- s, static
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Affiliation(s)
- Liheng Chen
- MD Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
| | - Emmanuel Ogalo
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, British Columbia
| | - Chloe Haldane
- Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, GF Strong Rehab Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
| | - Sean G Bristol
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael J Berger
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, British Columbia.,Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, GF Strong Rehab Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia
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Longo MR. No evidence for sex differences in tactile distance anisotropy. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:591-600. [PMID: 34984563 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Perceptual illusions of the distance between two touches have been used to study mental representations of the body since E. H. Weber's classic studies in the nineteenth century. For example, on many body parts tactile distance is anisotropic, with distances aligned with body width being perceived as larger than distances aligned with body length on several skin regions. Recent work has demonstrated sex differences in other distortions of mental body representations, such as proprioceptive hand maps. Given such findings, I analysed the results of 24 experiments, conducted by myself and my colleagues, measuring tactile distance anisotropy on the hand dorsum in both women and men. The results showed clear, and highly consistent anisotropy in both women and men, with no evidence for any sex difference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Longo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
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40
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Lourenço TF, Cordeiro AM, Frazão J, Saibo NJM, Oliveira MM. Evaluating Root Mechanosensing Response in Rice. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2494:25-35. [PMID: 35467198 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2297-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Unable to move, plants are physically restrained to the place where they grow. Remarkably, plants have developed a myriad of mechanisms to perceive the surrounding environment in order to maximize growth and survival. One of those mechanisms is the ability to perceive mechanical stimulus such as touch (thigmomorphogenesis), in order to adjust growth patterns (in different organs) to either attach to or surround an object. Roots are able to perceive several mechanical forces (e.g., gravity, touch). However, being the "hidden part" of a plant, it is difficult to assess their response to mechanical stimulation. In this chapter, our team presents a simple method to evaluate rice (Oryza sativa L.) root mechanosensing response that can be used to test different conditions (e.g., hormones) affecting rice root response to touch stimulus. This method is affordable to any lab and can be upgraded with a fully automated image recording system. We provide a detailed protocol with several notes for a more comprehensive application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago F Lourenço
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal.
| | - André M Cordeiro
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - João Frazão
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nelson J M Saibo
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - M Margarida Oliveira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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Trotter PD, Smith SA, Moore DJ, O’Sullivan N, McFarquhar MM, McGlone FP, Walker SC. Acute tryptophan depletion alters affective touch perception. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2771-2785. [PMID: 35554625 PMCID: PMC9385795 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06151-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Affiliative tactile interactions help regulate physiological arousal and confer resilience to acute and chronic stress. C-tactile afferents (CTs) are a population of unmyelinated, low threshold mechanosensitive cutaneous nerve fibres which respond optimally to a low force stimulus, moving at between 1 and 10 cm/s. As CT firing frequencies correlate positively with subjective ratings of touch pleasantness, they are hypothesised to form the first stage of encoding affiliative tactile interactions. Serotonin is a key modulator of social responses with known effects on bonding. OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of acutely lowering central serotonin levels on perceptions of CT-targeted affective touch. METHODS In a double blind, placebo-controlled design, the effect of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on 25 female participants' ratings of directly and vicariously experienced touch was investigated. Psychophysical techniques were used to deliver dynamic tactile stimuli; some velocities were targeted to optimally activate CTs (1-10 cm/s), whereas other, faster and slower strokes fell outside the CT optimal range. Discriminative tactile function, cold pain threshold and tolerance were also measured. RESULTS ATD significantly increased pleasantness ratings of both directly and vicariously experienced affective touch, increasing discrimination of the specific hedonic value of CT targeted velocities. While ATD had no effect on either tactile or cold pain thresholds, there was a trend for reduced tolerance to cold pain. CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with previous reports that depletion of central serotonin levels modulates neural and behavioural responsiveness to appetitive sensory signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula D. Trotter
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sharon A. Smith
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - David J. Moore
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Martyn M. McFarquhar
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Francis P. McGlone
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK ,Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Susannah C. Walker
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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Naylor CE, Proulx MJ, Buckingham G. Using Immersive Virtual Reality to Examine How Visual and Tactile Cues Drive the Material-Weight Illusion. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021. [PMID: 34862589 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02414-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The material-weight illusion (MWI) demonstrates how our past experience with material and weight can create expectations that influence the perceived heaviness of an object. Here we used mixed-reality to place touch and vision in conflict, to investigate whether the modality through which materials are presented to a lifter could influence the top-down perceptual processes driving the MWI. University students lifted equally-weighted polystyrene, cork and granite cubes whilst viewing computer-generated images of the cubes in virtual reality (VR). This allowed the visual and tactile material cues to be altered, whilst all other object properties were kept constant. Representation of the objects’ material in VR was manipulated to create four sensory conditions: visual-tactile matched, visual-tactile mismatched, visual differences only and tactile differences only. A robust MWI was induced across all sensory conditions, whereby the polystyrene object felt heavier than the granite object. The strength of the MWI differed across conditions, with tactile material cues having a stronger influence on perceived heaviness than visual material cues. We discuss how these results suggest a mechanism whereby multisensory integration directly impacts how top-down processes shape perception.
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Nguyen T, Abney DH, Salamander D, Bertenthal BI, Hoehl S. Proximity and touch are associated with neural but not physiological synchrony in naturalistic mother-infant interactions. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118599. [PMID: 34547452 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Caregiver touch plays a vital role in infants' growth and development, but its role as a communicative signal in human parent-infant interactions is surprisingly poorly understood. Here, we assessed whether touch and proximity in caregiver-infant dyads are related to neural and physiological synchrony. We simultaneously measured brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia of 4-6-month-old infants and their mothers (N=69 dyads) in distal and proximal joint watching conditions as well as in an interactive face-to-face condition. Neural synchrony was higher during the proximal than during the distal joint watching conditions, and even higher during the face-to-face interaction. Physiological synchrony was highest during the face-to-face interaction and lower in both joint watching conditions, irrespective of proximity. Maternal affectionate touch during the face-to-face interaction was positively related to neural but not physiological synchrony. This is the first evidence that touch mediates mutual attunement of brain activities, but not cardio-respiratory rhythms in caregiver-infant dyads during naturalistic interactions. Our results also suggest that neural synchrony serves as a biological pathway of how social touch plays into infant development and how this pathway could be utilized to support infant learning and social bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
| | - Drew H Abney
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin St., Athens, GA 30602, United States.
| | - Dina Salamander
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
| | - Bennett I Bertenthal
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
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Landelle C, Lungu O, Vahdat S, Kavounoudias A, Marchand-Pauvert V, De Leener B, Doyon J. Investigating the human spinal sensorimotor pathways through functional magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118684. [PMID: 34732324 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Most of our knowledge about the human spinal ascending (sensory) and descending (motor) pathways comes from non-invasive electrophysiological investigations. However, recent methodological advances in acquisition and analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the spinal cord, either alone or in combination with the brain, have allowed us to gain further insights into the organization of this structure. In the current review, we conducted a systematic search to produced somatotopic maps of the spinal fMRI activity observed through different somatosensory, motor and resting-state paradigms. By cross-referencing these human neuroimaging findings with knowledge acquired through neurophysiological recordings, our review demonstrates that spinal fMRI is a powerful tool for exploring, in vivo, the human spinal cord pathways. We report strong cross-validation between task-related and resting-state fMRI in accordance with well-known hemicord, postero-anterior and rostro-caudal organization of these pathways. We also highlight the specific advantages of using spinal fMRI in clinical settings to characterize better spinal-related impairments, predict disease progression, and guide the implementation of therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Landelle
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Ovidiu Lungu
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Anne Kavounoudias
- CNRS, UMR7291, Laboratory of Cognitive Neurosciences, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | | | - Benjamin De Leener
- Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Julien Doyon
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Fitzgerald C, Vens CS, Miller N, Barker R, Westphall M, Lombardino J, Miao J, Swanson SJ, Gilroy S. Using the Automated Botanical Contact Device (ABCD) to Deliver Reproducible, Intermittent Touch Stimulation to Plants. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2368:81-94. [PMID: 34647250 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1677-2_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Despite mechanical stimulation having profound effects on plant growth and development and modulating responses to many other stimuli, including to gravity, much of the molecular machinery triggering plant mechanical responses remains unknown. This gap in our knowledge arises in part from difficulties in applying reproducible, long-term touch stimulation to plants. We describe the design and implementation of the Automated Botanical Contact Device (ABCD) that applies intermittent, controlled, and highly reproducible mechanical stimulation by drawing a plastic sheet across experimental plants. The device uses a computer numerical control platform and continuously monitors plant growth and development using automated computer vision and image analysis. The system is designed around an open-source architecture to help promote the generation of comparable datasets between laboratories. The ABCD also offers a scalable system that could be deployed in the controlled environment setting, such as a greenhouse, to manipulate plant growth and development through controlled, repetitive mechanostimulation.
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Galigani M, Fossataro C, Gindri P, Conson M, Garbarini F. Monochannel Preference in Autism Spectrum Conditions Revealed by a Non-Visual Variant of Rubber Hand Illusion. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:4252-4260. [PMID: 34595575 PMCID: PMC9508008 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05299-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are less susceptible to multisensory delusions, such as rubber hand illusion (RHI). Here, we investigate whether a monochannel variant of RHI is more effective in inducing an illusory feeling of ownership in ASC. To this aim, we exploit a non-visual variant of the RHI that, excluding vision, leverages only on the somatosensory channel. While the visual-tactile RHI does not alter the perceived hand position in ASC individuals, the tacto-tactile RHI effectively modulates proprioception to a similar extent as that found in typical development individuals. These findings suggest a more effective integration of multiple inputs originating from the same sensory channel in ASC, revealing a monochannel preference in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Galigani
- Manibus Lab, Psychology Department, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Carlotta Fossataro
- Manibus Lab, Psychology Department, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy.
| | | | - Massimiliano Conson
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Psychology Department, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesca Garbarini
- Manibus Lab, Psychology Department, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute of Turin, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Shamay-Tsoory SG, Eisenberger NI. Getting in touch: A neural model of comforting touch. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:263-273. [PMID: 34474048 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Comforting touch involves contact distress-alleviating behaviors of an observer towards the suffering of a target. A growing number of studies have investigated the effects of touch on pain attenuation, focusing on the (toucher), the target (comforted) or both. Here we synthesize findings of brain mechanisms underlying comforting touch in the target and toucher to propose an integrative brain model for understanding how touch attenuates distress. Building on evidence from the pain and distress literatures, our model applies interchangeably to pain and distress regulation. We describe comforting touch as a feedback-loop that begins with distress experienced by the target, triggering an empathic response in the toucher which in turn reduces distress in the target. This cycle is mediated by interactions between the neural circuits associated with touch perception, shared distress, emotion regulation and reward as well as brain-to-brain coupling in the observation-execution system. We conclude that formulating a model of comforting touch offers a mechanistic framework for understanding the effects of touch as well as other social interactions involving social support.
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Affiliation(s)
- S G Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Israel; The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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De Luca E, Fatigante M, Zucchermaglio C, Alby F. "Awareness to touch": A qualitative study of nurses' perceptions of interpersonal professional contact after an experiential training. Nurse Educ Pract 2021; 56:103187. [PMID: 34534725 DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AIM This study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions of touch in their professional practice and how these perceptions were articulated in discourse, among participants who attended a specific training on touch and those who did not. BACKGROUND Touch is an essential part of nursing practice. Research showed that the use of touch influences patients' general well-being, improving a sense of presence and infusing security and encouragement. Nurses' attitude towards touch influence positively their job satisfaction and reduces burnout syndrome risks. Nevertheless, there are very few studies describing specifically nurses' perceptions and opinions about the use of interpersonal physical contact in the clinical setting. Also, an educational perspective focusing on touch seems missing from nursing curricula and research. DESIGN A qualitative methodology was adopted. Focus groups were organized to explore how nurses define and interpret touch and its relevance in their professional practice. The findings obtained in a previous quantitative step of this research inspired the formulation of the questions posed to nurse participants. METHODS Six focus groups were conducted in three Italian hospitals, which also hosted a one-day training on touch. For each hospital, a purposive sampling approach was used to organize two focus groups: one was made up of nurses who attended the training, and one was made up of nurses who did not. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns of meaning by which touch is discussed and interpreted in the focus groups. RESULTS Registered nurses (N = 39) from different clinical experiences participated in six focus groups. The analysis identified four themes: 1) Touch preferences, 2) Touch and Contact as a natural dimension, 3) Touch as a "praxis" and 4) Reflexivity on Touch. All six focus groups showed a general awareness of interpersonal touch and discussed it as a highly valorized (personal and professional) dimension. Specifically, the trained nurses showed a greater variety and richness of their lexicon, a semantic and imaginary repository by which they described their experience and competence. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights that nurses consider touch as an important, essential part of their practice. Moreover, it suggests that specific training on interpersonal touch in nursing care facilitate nurses to shift their perceptions from a generic, abstract and "personal" dimension, into an articulated, disciplined and specialized practice. This has implications for education on touch in nursing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico De Luca
- University of Rome 'Sapienza', Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy; University of Parma, Department of Medicine and Surgery, via Università, 43121 Parma, Italy.
| | - Marilena Fatigante
- University of Rome 'Sapienza', Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Zucchermaglio
- University of Rome 'Sapienza', Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Alby
- University of Rome 'Sapienza', Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Via Dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Bollini A, Esposito D, Campus C, Gori M. Different mechanisms of magnitude and spatial representation for tactile and auditory modalities. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:3123-32. [PMID: 34415367 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06196-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The human brain creates an external world representation based on magnitude judgments by estimating distance, numerosity, or size. The magnitude and spatial representation are hypothesized to rely on common mechanisms shared by different sensory modalities. We explored the relationship between magnitude and spatial representation using two different sensory systems. We hypothesize that the interaction between space and magnitude is combined differently depending on sensory modalities. Furthermore, we aimed to understand the role of the spatial reference frame in magnitude representation. We used stimulus–response compatibility (SRC) to investigate these processes assuming that performance is improved if stimulus and response share common features. We designed an auditory and tactile SRC task with conflicting spatial and magnitude mapping. Our results showed that sensory modality modulates the relationship between space and magnitude. A larger effect of magnitude over spatial congruency occurred in a tactile task. However, magnitude and space showed similar weight in the auditory task, with neither spatial congruency nor magnitude congruency having a significant effect. Moreover, we observed that the spatial frame activated during tasks was elicited by the sensory inputs. The participants' performance was reversed in the tactile task between uncrossed and crossed hands posture, suggesting an internal coordinate system. In contrast, crossing the hands did not alter performance (i.e., using an allocentric frame of reference). Overall, these results suggest that space and magnitude interaction differ in auditory and tactile modalities, supporting the idea that these sensory modalities use different magnitude and spatial representation mechanisms.
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50
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Johnstone J, Duncan D. Coronavirus: the 7th C affecting the 6Cs. A focus on compassion, care and touch. Br J Nurs 2021; 30:928-933. [PMID: 34379479 DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2021.30.15.928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The C0VID-19 pandemic has challenged everyone in society, from children who are no longer able to attend school and nursery to adults trying to juggle working at home and vulnerable members of society who have needed to self-isolate. NHS staff and key workers also need to juggle their family situations and many will have to adapt their practice and ways of working to address the demands placed on the NHS during this time. The current pandemic has altered the nature of services being provided to patients, and staff are now wearing personal protective equipment, with many being redeployed to ward areas. This article considers the 6Cs of nursing and the challenges faced by staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a primary focus on care and compassion. The vital role that touch has in the care of the patient and family is also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Debbie Duncan
- Lecturer in Nursing, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland
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