Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Observations on human tactile directional sensibility

H Olausson1, U Norrsell

  • 1Department of Physiology, University of Göteborg, Sweden.

The Journal of Physiology
|May 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Tactile directional sensibility, crucial for neurological assessments, depends on skin friction. Arm position significantly impacts accuracy, with friction being key for motion direction detection.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Slow brushing reduces heat pain in humans.

European journal of pain (London, England)·2017
Same author

Interpersonal stroking touch is targeted to C tactile afferent activation.

Behavioural brain research·2015
Same author

Energy expenditure by multisensor armband in overweight and obese lactating women validated by doubly labeled water.

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)·2013
Same author

Touching and feeling: differences in pleasant touch processing between glabrous and hairy skin in humans.

The European journal of neuroscience·2012
Same author

Feeling good: on the role of C fiber mediated touch in interoception.

Experimental brain research·2010
Same author

Longitudinal study of the maternal insulin-like growth factor system before, during and after pregnancy in relation to fetal and infant weight.

Hormone research·2007

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Physiology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Tactile directional sensibility is a sensitive indicator of nervous system function.
  • The precise mechanisms underlying tactile directional sense remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of contact load and movement distance on tactile directional sensibility.
  • To determine the effect of arm position (elbow bent vs. straight) on directional accuracy.
  • To elucidate the role of skin friction in tactile motion direction perception.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a two-alternative forced-choice method to assess directional sensibility on forearm skin.
  • Tested subjects under two arm positions: elbow bent and elbow straight.
  • Measured accuracy in relation to contact load, movement distance, and cutaneous mechanical properties.

Main Results:

  • Arm straightening reduced directional sensibility accuracy and altered cutaneous mechanical properties.
  • Accuracy showed a linear correlation with the logarithm of contact load and movement distance.
  • Friction was critical for direction detection, with accuracy for a moving object being significantly higher than for a frictionless stimulus.

Conclusions:

  • Tactile directional sensibility is significantly influenced by arm posture and skin mechanical properties.
  • Skin friction, mediated by stretch-sensitive cutaneous receptors, is essential for determining motion direction.
  • Directional sensibility likely involves parallel processing of direction-selective and time-based spatial data.

Related Experiment Videos