Gentle touch activates the prefrontal cortex in infancy: an NIRS study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Sensory Processing

Background:

• Previous research indicates pleasant touch activates reward pathways in adult brains, specifically the anterior prefrontal cortex (APFC).
• The developmental trajectory of this response in human infants remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental changes in anterior prefrontal cortex (APFC) activation in response to pleasant tactile stimulation during infancy.
• To identify the age at which infants begin to show reward-related brain responses to gentle touch.

Main Methods:

• Utilized near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure brain activity in infants aged 3, 6, and 10 months.
• Compared brain responses to gentle touch with a velvet fabric versus a neutral wood object applied to the palm.

Main Results:

• Ten-month-old infants exhibited bilateral APFC activation when touched with velvet fabric, unlike 3- and 6-month-olds.
• No significant APFC activation was observed in younger infants (3 and 6 months) for either tactile condition.

Conclusions:

• Infant tactile affective systems undergo significant developmental changes between 6 and 10 months of age.
• Activation of the anterior prefrontal cortex (APFC) by pleasant touch emerges as a key indicator of this developmental shift in sensory processing.