Kirsch and colleagues report the first human lesion study on the perception of C-tactile touch in right hemisphere stroke patients (N = 59). The results show that lesions in the right posterior and anterior insula reduce tactile, contralateral and ipsilateral pleasantness sensitivity, respectively. These findings provide important insight into the areas involved in the central processing of tactile signals associated with the peripheral activation of CT afferents and corroborate previous imaging studies regarding the role of the posterior insula in the perception of affective touch.
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Kirsch LP, Besharati S, Papadaki C, Crucianelli L, Bertagnoli S, Ward N, Moro V, Jenkinson PM, Fotopoulou A (2020). Damage to the right insula disrupts the perception of affective touch. elife, 9, e47895.
Categories: Research Digest