Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that somatic sensation has a modality for pleasant touch. Objective: To investigate pleasant touch at the fingertip level (i.e., glabrous skin site) through the elaboration of a linear unidimensional scale that measures (i) various materials according to the level of pleasantness they elicit through active fingertip explorations and (ii) subjects according to their pleasantness leniency levels. Subjects: We enrolled 198 healthy subjects without any neurological disease. Methods: Blindfolded subjects actively explored 48 materials with their index fingertips and reported the perceived pleasantness of each on a 4-level scale. The fingertip moisture levels on each subject were measured before the experimental session. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model. Results: We elaborated unidimensional linear scale that included 37 materials according to their pleasantness of touch. The pleasantness level of 21 materials was perceived differently, depending on the fingertip moisture levels of the subjects. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we formulated a Pleasant Touch Scale. Fingertip moisture levels appeared to be a major factor for (un)pleasant feelings during active exploration.
Highlights
The hand is the key organ of the sense of touch (Lundborg, 2005), making sensation fundamental to hand function
Rasch analysis showed that six items did not fit a unidimensional scale and were eliminated, which resulted in a 40-item scale
Each of these 23 items was split into two different items with locations specific to fingertip moisture level, one each for subjects with dry and wet skin
Summary
The hand is the key organ of the sense of touch (Lundborg, 2005), making sensation fundamental to hand function. Studies investigating pleasant touch at hairy skin sites have suggested that C-tactile nerve fibers (CT-fibers) play a fundamental role in the detection and transmission of pleasant stimuli applied to the skin (Olausson et al, 2002, 2010; McGlone et al, 2007; Essick et al, 2010; Morrison et al, 2011). These CT-fibers were identified during microneurography recordings from infra- and supraorbital nerves (Johansson et al, 1988; Nordin, 1990). Fingertip moisture levels appeared to be a major factor for (un)pleasant feelings during active exploration
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