Brief Communication abstract
Nature Neuroscience 12, 547 - 548 (2009)
Published online: 12 April 2009 | doi:10.1038/nn.2312
Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans
Line S Löken1,2, Johan Wessberg1, India Morrison1,2, Francis McGlone3,4 & Håkan Olausson1,2
Pleasant touch sensations may begin with neural coding in the periphery by specific afferents. We found that during soft brush stroking, low-threshold unmyelinated mechanoreceptors (C-tactile), but not myelinated afferents, responded most vigorously at intermediate brushing velocities (1-10 cm s-1), which were perceived by subjects as being the most pleasant. Our results indicate that C-tactile afferents constitute a privileged peripheral pathway for pleasant tactile stimulation that is likely to signal affiliative social body contact.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
- Sensation, Perception and Behaviour Group, Unilever R&D, Wirral, Cheshire, UK.
Correspondence to: Line S Löken1,2 e-mail: line.loken@neuro.gu.se
Correspondence to: Håkan Olausson1,2 e-mail: olausson@physiol.gu.se
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