The right touch: Stroking of CT-innervated skin promotes vocal emotion processing.

ABSTRACT: Research has revealed a special mechanoreceptor, called C-tactile (CT) afferent, that is situated in hairy skin and that seems relevant for the processing of social touch. We pursued a possible role of this receptor in the perception of other social signals such as a person's voice. Participants completed three sessions in which they heard surprised and neutral vocal and nonvocal sounds and detected rare sound repetitions. In a given session, participants received no touch or soft brushstrokes to the arm (CT innervated) or palm (CT free). Event-related potentials elicited to sounds revealed that stroking to the arm facilitated the integration of vocal and emotional information. The late positive potential was greater for surprised vocal relative to neutral vocal and nonvocal sounds, and th

SUBMITTER: Schirmer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5709431 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature