In this study, we investigated the effect of input voltage waveform on our haptic perception of electrovibration on touch screens. Through psychophysical experiments performed with eight subjects, we first measured the detection thresholds of electrovibration stimuli generated by sinusoidal and square voltages at various fundamental frequencies. We observed that the subjects were more sensitive to stimuli generated by square wave voltage than sinusoidal one for frequencies lower than 60 Hz. Using Matlab simulations, we showed that the sensation difference of waveforms in low fundamental frequencies occurred due to the frequency-dependent electrical properties of human skin and human tactile sensitivity. To validate our simulations, we conducted a second experiment with another group of eight subjects. We first actuated the touch screen at the threshold voltages estimated in the first experiment and then measured the contact force and acceleration acting on the index fingers of the subjects moving on the screen with a constant speed. We analyzed the collected data in the frequency domain using the human vibrotactile sensitivity curve. The results suggested that Pacinian channel was the primary psychophysical channel in the detection of the electrovibration stimuli caused by all the square-wave inputs tested in this study. We also observed that the measured force and acceleration data were affected by finger speed in a complex manner suggesting that it may also affect our haptic perception accordingly.

Many children with autistic spectrum disorders have unusual reactions to certain sensory stimuli. These reactions vary along a hyper- to hypo-responsivity continuum. For example, some children overreact to weak sensory input, but others do not respond negatively to even strong stimuli. It is typically assumed that this deviant responsivity is linked to sensitivity, although the particular stage of sensory processing affected is not known. Psychophysical vibrotactile thresholds of six male children (age: 8-12) who were diagnosed to have autistic spectrum disorders and six normal male children (age: 7-11) were measured by using a two-alternative forced-choice task. The tactile stimuli were sinusoidal displacements and they were applied on the terminal phalanx of the left middle finger of each subject. By using a forward-masking paradigm, 40- and 250-Hz thresholds of the Pacinian tactile channel and 40-Hz threshold of the Non-Pacinian I tactile channel were determined. There was no significant difference between the thresholds of autistic and normal children, and the autistic children had the same detection and masking mechanisms as the normal children. The sensory responsivity of each subject was tested by clinical questionnaires, which showed again no difference between the two subject groups. Furthermore, no significant correlations could be found between the questionnaire data and the psychophysical thresholds. However, there was a high correlation between the data from the tactile and emotional subsets of the questionnaires. These results support the hypothesis that the hyper- and hypo-responsivity to touch, which is sometimes observed in autistic spectrum disorders, is not a perceptual sensory problem, but may probably be emotional in origin.

The unappealing taste of the chewing material and the time-consuming repetitive task in masticatory performance tests using artificial foodstuff may discourage children from performing natural chewing movements. Therefore, the aim was to determine the validity and reliability of a two-colour chewing gum mixing ability test for masticatory performance (MP) assessment in mixed dentition children. Masticatory performance was tested in two groups: systemically healthy fully dentate young adults and children in mixed dentition. Median particle size was assessed using a comminution test, and a two-colour chewing gum mixing ability test was applied for MP analysis. Validity was tested with Pearson correlation, and reliability was tested with intra-class correlation coefficient, Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots. Both comminution and two-colour chewing gum mixing ability tests revealed statistically significant MP differences between children (n = 25) and adults (n = 27, both P < 0·01). Pearson correlation between comminution and two-colour chewing gum mixing ability tests was positive and significant (r = 0·418, P = 0·002). Correlations for interobserver reliability and test-retest values were significant (r = 0·990, P = 0·0001 and r = 0·995, P = 0·0001). Although both methods could discriminate MP differences, the comminution test detected these differences generally in a wider range compared to two-colour chewing gum mixing ability test. However, considering the high reliability of the results, the two-colour chewing gum mixing ability test can be used to assess masticatory performance in children, especially at non-clinical settings.

Pacinian corpuscles (PCs) are tactile receptors composed of a nerve ending (neurite) that is encapsulated by layers of lamellar cells. PCs are classified as primary mechanoreceptors because there is no synapse between the transductive membrane and the site of actionpotential generation. These touch receptors respond in a rapidly adapting manner to sustained pressure (indentation or displacement), which until now was believed to be attributable solely to the mechanical properties of the capsule. However, evidence of positive immunoreactivity for GABA receptors on the neurite, as well as evidence for gene expression of synaptobrevin in the lamellar cells led to the hypothesis that GABAergic inhibition originating from the lamellar cells is involved in the rapid adaptation process of PCs. Electrophysiological data from isolated PCs demonstrates that, in the presence of either gabazine or picrotoxin (GABA receptor antagonists), many action potentials appear during the static portion of a sustained indentation stimulus (similar to slowly adapting receptors) and that these "static" spikes completely disappear in the presence of GABA. It was consequently hypothesized that glutamate, released by either the neurite itself or the lamellar cells, caused these action potentials. Indeed, the glutamate receptor blocker kynurenate either decreased or totally eliminated the static spikes. Together, these results suggest that GABA, emanating from the modified Schwann cells of the capsule, inhibits glutamatergic excitation during the static portion of sustained pressure, thus forming a "mechanochemical," rather than purely mechanical, rapid adaptation response. This glial-neuronal interaction is a completely novel finding for the PC.

Psychophysical thresholds for the detection of a 300-Hz burst of vibration applied to the thenar eminence were measured for stimuli applied to the skin through 1.5 cm2 and through 0.05 cm2 contactors. Thresholds were approximately 13 dB lower when the area of the contactor was 1.5 cm2 than when it was 0.05 cm2. The difference between the thresholds measured with the large and small contactors was significantly reduced when only the lowest thresholds obtained in the testing sessions were considered. This result supports the hypothesis that one component of spatial summation in the P channel is probability summation. In addition, threshold measurements within a session were less variable when measured with the 1.5 cm2 contactor. We conclude that spatial summation in the P channel is a joint function of two processes that occur as the areal extent of the stimulus increases: probability summation in which the probability of exceeding the psychophysical detection threshold increases as the number of receptors of varying sensitivities increases, and neural integration in which neural activity originating from separate receptors is combined within the central nervous system rendering the channel more sensitive to the stimulus.