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. 2009 May;12(5):547-8.
doi: 10.1038/nn.2312. Epub 2009 Apr 12.

Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans

Line S Löken  1 , Johan Wessberg, India Morrison, Francis McGlone, Håkan Olausson
Affiliations

Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans

Line S Löken et al. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May.

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.

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