Abstract
Touch shape discrimination is not only closely related to tactile mechanoreceptors but also higher cognitive function. However, previous shape discrimination methods are difficult to complete in a short time, and the devices are complicated to operate and not user-friendly for nonprofessionals. Here, we propose a new method, the evaluation quantity of which is the angle discrimination threshold. In addition, to make this method easy to use for nonprofessionals, we designed a haptic angle sorting system, including the device and software. To evaluate this method, the angle sorting and two-angle discrimination experiments were compared, and it was found that participants spent significantly less time in the former experiment than in the latter. At the same time, there is a strong correlation between the performance of angle sorting and two-angle discrimination, which shows that the angle threshold obtained by the new method can also be used to evaluate the ability of touch discrimination. Moreover, the angle sorting results of different age groups also further demonstrate the feasibility of the method. The efficiency of this new method and the effectiveness of the system also provide a convenient means for evaluating haptic shape discrimination, which may have potential clinical application value in the early diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and even in the evaluation of cognitive function.
Highlights
Tactile shape discrimination plays an important role in the process of human exploration of the outside world [1]
Sorting is an efficient method that can be used for psychophysical measurements [20], such as the 100-hue test for measuring hue discrimination. Referring to this visual test paradigm, we propose a new method of angle sorting for haptic shape discrimination
We have presented a new method for haptic angle discrimination
Summary
Tactile shape discrimination plays an important role in the process of human exploration of the outside world [1]. Previous studies have demonstrated that shape discriminability changes with age [11,12] and is impaired by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [13,14]. The present study aims to develop an efficient and convenient shape discriminability detection paradigm and device. Touch shape discriminability is commonly used clinically to assess tactile perception and even to estimate higher-level functions such as working memory [15,16,17]. Tactile angle discrimination was found to be related to higher cognitive functions, where the impairment of working memory significantly reduced tactile angle discriminability [13,14]. We developed an angle stimuli presentation device [18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
