Tactile perception of skin: research on late positive component of event-related potentials evoked by friction

Abstract

During tactile perception, the electrical system in the brain will respond to the changes in vibration, friction, and surface properties between the perceived surface and human skin. To establish the relationship between tactile perception and friction, 64-channel Neuroscan event-related potential (ERP) system and a three-axis force sensor were used to obtain electroencephalograph (EEG) and friction signals during fingers exploring surfaces. An oddball variation mode was applied to produce the late positive component (LPC) of ERP. Three fabric samples with different friction coefficient were chosen. The results indicate that LPC amplitude is affected by friction. High friction leads to high LPC amplitude. LPC latency is related to difference of friction. Large difference of friction between samples induces small LPC latency. During tactile perception, the applied normal load of male is larger than that of female. Tactile perception is effected by gender. Female has larger LPC latency than male, indicating female are more sensitive to recognize fabrics. This fundamental study could provide theory support to the related researches.