Inter-individual touch can be a desirable reward that can both relieve negative affect and evoke strong feelings of pleasure. However, if other sensory cues indicate it is undesirable to interact with the toucher, the affective experience of the same touch may be flipped to disgust. While a broad literature has addressed, on one hand the neurophysiological basis of ascending touch pathways, and on the other hand the central neurochemistry involved in touch behaviors, investigations of how external context and internal state shapes the hedonic value of touch have only recently emerged. Here, we review the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms responsible for the integration of tactile “bottom–up” stimuli and “top–down” information into affective touch experiences. We highlight the reciprocal influences between gentle touch and contextual information, and consider how, and at which levels of neural processing, top-down influences may modulate ascending touch signals. Finally, we discuss the central neurochemistry, specifically the μ-opioids and oxytocin systems, involved in affective touch processing, and how the functions of these neurotransmitters largely depend on the context and motivational state of the individual.
The Neurobiology Shaping Affective Touch: Expectation, Motivation, and Meaning in the Multisensory Context
Dan-Mikael Ellingsen,S. Leknes,G. Løseth,J. Wessberg,H. Olausson
Published 2016 in Frontiers in Psychology
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2016
- Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
- Publication date
2016-01-06
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine, Psychology
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
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