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    Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12.

    Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans.

    Source

    Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. line.loken@neuro.gu.se

    Abstract

    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.

    PMID:
    19363489
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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