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Updated: Dec 27, 2025
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Higher tactile sensitivity in preterm infants at term-equivalent age: A pilot study
Vanessa André1, Virginie Durier1, Alain Beuchée2
1Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)-UMR 6552, Rennes, France.
Insights
Preterm infants show heightened sensitivity to light touch compared to full-term infants and adults. This heightened tactile sensitivity in preterm infants may stem from developmental and experiential factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Perinatal Medicine
Background:
- Limited data exists on tactile sensitivity, particularly passive touch, in perinatal development.
- Understanding tactile processing is crucial for infants with atypical development, especially preterm and early-term infants.
- Preterm infants experience significant sensory stimulation during critical brain development periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate tactile sensitivity in preterm, early-term, and full-term infants.
- To compare tactile perception between these infant groups and adults.
- To explore potential factors contributing to altered tactile sensitivity in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral responses to a light mechanical stimulus (0.008 grams) were compared across infant groups and adults.
- Infants were assessed around term-equivalent age.
- Stimulus application involved passive touch, imposing stimulation on the skin.
Main Results:
- Almost all preterm infants perceived the light mechanical stimulus.
- Full-term and early-term infants did not respond to the stimulus.
- Adults were unresponsive to the same light mechanical stimulus, indicating heightened sensitivity in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants exhibit significantly higher tactile sensitivity than full-term infants and adults.
- This heightened sensitivity may result from a combination of maturational and experiential factors.
- Findings offer new insights into tactile processing development and the sensory experiences of preterm infants, informing early care practices.
Abstract:
Despite a growing body of research on perinatal sensory abilities, data on the extent of tactile sensitivity and more particularly passive touch (i.e. sensitivity to a stimulation imposed on the skin) are relatively limited, and the development and processing of tactile function are still thus little known. This question is particularly of high importance for infants with atypical early development such as those born prematurely who are exposed to many sensory (including tactile) stimulations (being in a hospital setting) during a critical period of brain development and those born at early term whose birth occurs at the precise time of cortical reorganization, in particular in the sensory areas. Some parents and health-care providers have for instance reported that children born prematurely exhibit atypical (e.g. higher) sensitivity to "benign" tactile stimuli. In the present study, we hypothesized that preterm and early-term infants may show altered tactile sensitivity. We compared the behavioral responses around term-equivalent age of infants born either pre-term, early-term or at term to the application of a light (0.008 grams) mechanical stimulus. We found that almost all preterm infants perceive this tactile stimulus, contrarily to the two other groups of infants. This extreme tactile sensitivity may be due to experiential, maturational or more likely both processes. We also compared the tactile sensitivity of these infants to that of adults. We found that adults were irresponsive to the light mechanical stimulus. This finding opens not only new insights in understanding development of tactile processing, but also new lines of thought about the particular sensory world of premature and early-term infants and hence about the potential impact of early care practices.
