"Tactile" sensory nerve potentials elicited by air-puff stimulation: a microneurographic study

To investigate the sensory nerve responses to selective touch stimulation, sensory nerve action potentials after brief air-puffs were recorded with a microelectrode. In patients with peripheral neuropathy, those with impairment of tactile sensations had significantly smaller responses than did those without tactile impairment, suggesting receptor activation failure as well as nerve conduction failure. Brief air-puff stimulation, when combined with microneurography, could be used for evaluating the tactile receptor properties in humans.