Touch receptors articles from across Nature Portfolio

Schwann cells associated with most sensory receptors in the skin actively participate in the transduction of mechanical stimuli. Here the authors show that silencing these sensory Schwann cells is sufficient to reduce touch perception and can inhibit mechanical pain in mice.

Tasnim et al. show that ASD-associated genes act in different compartments of somatosensory circuits and that differences in developmental timing of ASD gene function and circuit maturation contribute to phenotypic heterogeneity across ASD models.

Intuitive thermal perceptions during cold-object grasping with a prosthesis can be restored in a phantom hand through targeted nerve stimulation via a wearable thin-film thermoelectric device with high cooling power density and speed.

Distinct subdivisions of low-threshold mechanoreceptors and postsynaptic dorsal column neurons converge at the dorsal column nuclei to code precise tactile representations.

Naturally perceived thermal sensations can be evoked as though originating from a prosthetic limb by taking advantage of sensory reinnervation of the residual limb after amputation.

A biomimetic sense of touch could ground robots better in the physical world and improve their interactions with humans.

Developmental dysfunction in peripheral somatosensory neurons causes altered responses to tactile stimuli and other behavioural deficits in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.