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  • Title: Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans.
    Author: Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H.
    Journal: Nat Neurosci; 2009 May; 12(5):547-8. PubMed ID: 19363489.
    Abstract:
    Pleasant touch sensations may begin with neural coding in the periphery by specific afferents. We found that during soft brush stroking, low-threshold unmyelinated mechanoreceptors (C-tactile), but not myelinated afferents, responded most vigorously at intermediate brushing velocities (1-10 cm s(-1)), which were perceived by subjects as being the most pleasant. Our results indicate that C-tactile afferents constitute a privileged peripheral pathway for pleasant tactile stimulation that is likely to signal affiliative social body contact.
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