Optimal delineation of single C-tactile and C-nociceptive afferents in humans by latency slowing

Watkins, Roger Holmes; Wessberg, Johan; Wasling, Helena Backlund; Dunham, James P.; Olausson, Håkan; Johnson, Richard D.; Ackerley, Rochelle

doi:10.1152/jn.00939.2016

Cited by 31 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…A small skin biopsy study investigating only four children with ASD reported that the number of small fibers, which presumably includes CT afferents, was fewer than usual; although it must be noted that the sample size was too small and there were no matched controls 42 . In addition, CT afferents responding to gentle touch, are activated by electrical stimulations 43 but not vibrotactile stimulation 36 , 44 – 46 and the activation of CT afferents evokes sympathetic skin response 46 , 47 . In the current study, although increased SCR to both strong and weak electrical stimulations was observed in ASD, only the latter was correlated with sensory difficulties in daily living.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomic versus perceptual accounts for tactile hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorder

Fukuyama

Kumagaya

Asada

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Tactile atypicality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has harmful effects on their everyday lives including social interactions. However, whether tactile atypicality in ASD reflects perceptual and/or autonomic processes is unknown. Here, we show that adults with ASD have hypersensitivity to tactile stimuli in the autonomic but not perceptual domain. In particular, adults with ASD showed a greater skin conductance response (SCR) to tactile stimuli compared to typically developing (TD) adults, despite an absence of differences in subjective responses. Furthermore, the level of the SCR was correlated with sensory sensitivity in daily living. By contrast, in perceptual discriminative tasks that psychophysically measured thresholds to tactile stimuli, no differences were found between the ASD and TD groups. These results favor the hypothesis that atypical autonomic processing underlies tactile hypersensitivity in ASD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomic versus perceptual accounts for tactile hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorder

Fukuyama

Kumagaya

Asada

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“…Self-touch increased the detection threshold even above the force that activates nociceptors [above 5 mN (56)]. This suggests that touching one’s own arm might have analgesic effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinction of self-produced touch and social touch at cortical and spinal cord levels

Boehme

Hauser

Gerling

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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SignificanceThe earliest way humans can learn what their body is and where the outside world begins is through the tactile sense, especially through touch between parent and baby. In this study, we demonstrated differential processing of touch from self and others at cortical and spinal levels. Our results support top-down modulation of dorsal horn somatosensory processing, as recently shown in animal studies. We provide evidence that the individual self-concept relates to differential self- vs. other-processing in the tactile domain. Self- vs. other-distinction is necessary for successful social interaction with others and for establishing a coherent self. Our results suggest an association between impaired somatosensory processing and a dysfunctional self-concept, as seen in many psychiatric disorders.

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“…From the mechanical tests, the mean mechanical detection threshold was achieved at forces as low as 0.2 mN, supporting findings in the literature of facial cutaneous mechanoreceptor activation (Pigg et al, ). Thresholds for CT afferent activation via indentation with von Frey hairs have been reported to be in the range of 0.3–3 mN (Vallbo et al, ; Watkins et al, ). However, within the present study, pleasantness (using von Frey hairs) was rated at forces approximately nine times higher and within a range of C nociceptor activation (Schmidt, Schmelz, Ringkamp, Handwerker, & Torebjörk, ; Watkins et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thresholds for CT afferent activation via indentation with von Frey hairs have been reported to be in the range of 0.3–3 mN (Vallbo et al, ; Watkins et al, ). However, within the present study, pleasantness (using von Frey hairs) was rated at forces approximately nine times higher and within a range of C nociceptor activation (Schmidt, Schmelz, Ringkamp, Handwerker, & Torebjörk, ; Watkins et al, ). Nonetheless, CT afferents are not solely responsible for a rewarding value (Pawling, Cannon, McGlone, & Walker, ), and noxious stimulation can be deemed as pleasurable (Leknes et al, ), hence, warranting the need for scales to incorporate a range of sensations and allowing for any potential overlap.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of experimental orofacial pain, pleasantness and unpleasantness via standardized psychophysical testing

Taneja

Olausson

Trulsson

et al. 2019

European Journal of Pain

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Background Somatosensory assessment within the orofacial region may be performed using highly standardized quantitative sensory testing (QST). However, the function of the C‐tactile (CT) afferent, a nerve fibre linked to the perception of pleasant touch, is usually not evaluated. Furthermore, the perception of unpleasantness is also rarely assessed, a dimension not only limited to a painful experience. Therefore, the primary aim was to apply standardized QST stimuli as well as standardized pleasant stimuli and evaluate their potential capacity for evocation of perceived pain, pleasant and unpleasant sensations in the facial region. Methods Twenty‐one female participants underwent QST as per the protocol derived from the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. For the first time, two modified protocols were used to investigate stimuli for perceived pleasantness and unpleasantness. Results Thermal stimuli provided separate thresholds for each sensation. From certain mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration), overlap between the perceived sensations of pleasantness and unpleasantness was identified. It was not possible to evoke only an unpleasant sensation without a painful contribution, and both these sensations increased significantly when utilizing an increasing pinprick force (p < 0.011). Between dynamic stimuli, the brush was rated as significantly more pleasant than the cotton wool tip (p = 0.015). A quadratic model provided the best fit for velocity against mean pleasantness ratings (R2 = 0.62 ± 0.08), supporting previous CT afferent literature to some extent. Conclusion Stimuli were generally not isolated to one sensation, highlighting the multidimensional construct of stimulus perception and the need for scales to capture this. Significance The battery of QST tests from the DFNS protocol has been modified to investigate pleasant and unpleasant sensations. This allows the evaluation of psychophysical properties across standardized dimensions to provide a thorough view of somatosensory function and to better understand the affective spectrum of somatosensory function.

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Optimal delineation of single C-tactile and C-nociceptive afferents in humans by latency slowing

Cited by 31 publications

References 33 publications

Autonomic versus perceptual accounts for tactile hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorder

Autonomic versus perceptual accounts for tactile hypersensitivity in autism spectrum disorder

Distinction of self-produced touch and social touch at cortical and spinal cord levels

Assessment of experimental orofacial pain, pleasantness and unpleasantness via standardized psychophysical testing

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