Social touch is not purely a human behaviour. In fact, the C-tactile (CT) afferent was first characterised (as a C-low threshold mechanoreceptor) in cats. In this paper Testard et al. explore the social relationships within groups of macaques on a remote island both before and after a devastating hurricane. This is a unique perspective showing that Read more…
The role of oxytocin (OT) in social behaviours has long been considered. Some studies suggest that endogenous OT is a mediator of social relationships, while other studies have shown that the exogenous manipulation of OT may not impact social behaviour at all. Here, Handlin, Novembre et al. explored the top-down effect of partner/stranger touch on endogenous Read more…
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 Read more…
The social touch hypothesis proposes that C-tactile fibers form a privileged pathway underlying social touch. The pleasantness percept has long been related to a slow, caress-like touch. Here, Case and colleagues propose that deep pressure constitutes another important form of social touch. Their results suggest that the brain activity recorded Read more…
Previous studies showed that CTs are abundant in hairy skin and are thought to code gentle, stroking touch that signals positive affective interactions. CTs have never been described in human glabrous skin, yet. Watkins and colleagues showed the first evidence of their existence on the non-hairy skin of the hand, Read more…