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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Affective touch enhances low gamma activity during hand proprioceptive perception in children with different
Álvaro Sabater-Gárriz1,2,3,4, José Antonio Mingorance1,2,3, Francesc Mestre-Sansó5
1Research Institute on Health Sciences (IUNICS), University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Insights
Affective touch enhances proprioception and gamma wave activity in children. Children with cerebral palsy showed impaired proprioception, which worsened with non-affective touch, highlighting touch
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Gamma wave activity in the sensorimotor cortex is crucial for proprioception, motor control, and spatial orientation.
- The impact of tactile stimuli, especially affective touch, on gamma oscillations is poorly understood, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental disorders like cerebral palsy (CP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how affective touch modulates gamma oscillatory activity and influences proprioceptive performance in children with typical development, CP, and ASD.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) recorded gamma activity (30-45 Hz) in the somatosensory cortex during passive wrist movements under affective touch, non-affective touch, and no-touch conditions.
- Proprioceptive accuracy was measured by participants' ability to identify wrist positions.
- Subjective ratings of touch pleasantness and proprioception were also collected.
Main Results:
- Affective touch significantly increased proprioceptive gamma power density.
- Children with CP exhibited poorer proprioception and higher gamma power density for movement processing compared to typically developing children and those with ASD.
- Proprioceptive performance in children with CP deteriorated following non-affective touch stimulation.
Conclusions:
- Affective touch demonstrates potential in modulating gamma oscillations and improving proprioceptive function, especially in children with CP.
- These findings emphasize the therapeutic value of emotionally salient sensory input for enhancing proprioception and motor skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Background:
Gamma wave activity in the sensorimotor cortex is a critical neural mechanism associated with proprioceptive processing, which is essential for motor coordination, balance, and spatial orientation. The modulation of gamma oscillations by different types of tactile stimuli, including affective touch, is not well understood, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder.
Aims:
This study aims to explore how affective touch influences gamma oscillatory activity and proprioceptive performance in children with typical development, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorders.
Methods And Procedures:
EEG data were recorded from participants during passive wrist mobilizations under three conditions: following an affective touch stimulus, after a non-affective touch stimulus, and with no tactile stimulation. Time-frequency analysis of low gamma activity (30-45 Hz) on the left somatosensory cortex was conducted for each condition. Proprioceptive performance was assessed through participants' accuracy in identifying wrist positions. Proprioception and pleasantness of affective and non-affective touch were also assessed.
Results:
Affective touch increased proprioceptive gamma power density. Children with cerebral palsy had poorer proprioception and higher brain gamma power density for processing movement than children with typical development or autism, and their proprioception worsened with non-affective touch.
Conclusion And Implications:
These findings highlight the potential of affective touch to modulate gamma oscillatory activity and enhance proprioceptive function, particularly in children with cerebral palsy. The results underscore the importance of incorporating emotionally meaningful sensory inputs in therapeutic interventions to support proprioceptive and motor function in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
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