Regional asymmetry, obesity and gender determines tactile acuity of the knee regions: A cross-sectional study

The Importance of Intact Senses in Mating and Social Assessments Made by Deaf Individuals

Social perception is a multimodal process involving vision and audition as central input sources for human social cognitive processes. However, it remains unclear how profoundly deaf people assess others in the context of mating and social interaction. The current study explored the relative importance of different sensory modalities (vision, smell, and touch) in assessments of opposite- and same-sex strangers. We focused on potential sensory compensation processes in mate selection (i.e., increased importance of the intact senses in forming impressions of an opposite-sex stranger as a potential partner). A total of 74 deaf individuals and 100 normally hearing controls were included in the study sample. We found diminished importance of vision and smell in deaf participants compared with controls for opposite- and same-sex strangers, and increased importance of touch for the assessment of same-sex strangers. The results suggested that deaf people rely less on visual and olfactory cues in mating and social assessments, highlighting a possible role of sign language in shaping interpersonal tactile experience in non-romantic relationships.

Modernising tactile acuity assessment; clinimetrics of semi-automated tests and effects of age, sex and anthropometry on performance

Background

Reduced tactile acuity has been observed in several chronic pain conditions and has been proposed as a clinical indicator of somatosensory impairments related to the condition. As some interventions targeting these impairments have resulted in pain reduction, assessing tactile acuity may have significant clinical potential. While two-point discrimination threshold (TPDT) is a popular method of assessing tactile acuity, large measurement error has been observed (impeding responsiveness) and its validity has been questioned. The recently developed semi-automated ‘imprint Tactile Acuity Device’ (iTAD) may improve tactile acuity assessment, but clinimetric properties of its scores (accuracy score, response time and rate correct score) need further examination.

Aims

Experiment 1: To determine inter-rater reliability and measurement error of TPDT and iTAD assessments. Experiment 2: To determine internal consistencies and floor or ceiling effects of iTAD scores, and investigate effects of age, sex, and anthropometry on performance.

Methods

Experiment 1: To assess inter-rater reliability (ICC_(2,1)) and measurement error (coefficient of variation (CoV)), three assessors each performed TPDT and iTAD assessments at the neck in forty healthy participants. Experiment 2: To assess internal consistency (ICC_(2,k)) and floor or ceiling effects (skewness z-scores), one hundred healthy participants performed the iTAD’s localisation and orientation tests. Balanced for sex, participants were equally divided over five age brackets (18–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60 and 61–70). Age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and neck surface area were assessed to examine their direct (using multiple linear regression analysis) and indirect (using sequential mediation analysis) relationship with iTAD scores.

Results

Mean ICC_(2,1) was moderate for TPDT (0.70) and moderate-to-good for the various iTAD scores (0.65–0.86). The CoV was 25.3% for TPDT and ranged from 6.1% to 16.5% for iTAD scores. Internal consistency was high for both iTAD accuracy scores (ICC_(2,6) = 0.84; ICC_(2,4) = 0.86). No overt floor or ceiling effects were detected (all skewness z-scores < 3.29). Accuracy scores were only directly related to age (decreasing with increasing age) and sex (higher for men).

Discussion

Although reliability was similar, iTAD scores demonstrated less measurement error than TPDT indicating a potential for better responsiveness to treatment effects. Further, unlike previously reported for TPDT, iTAD scores appeared independent of anthropometry, which simplifies interpretation. Additionally, the iTAD assesses multiple aspects of tactile processing which may provide a more comprehensive evaluation of tactile acuity. Taken together, the iTAD shows promise in measuring tactile acuity, but patient studies are needed to verify clinical relevance.

Motor imagery performance and tactile acuity in patients with complaints of arms, neck and shoulder

Aim: This study aims to gain more knowledge of the sensorimotor incongruence in patients with chronic nonspecific complaints of arm, neck and shoulder. Method: Seven patients and seven healthy controls performed a left/right judgment task, and tactile acuity was assessed by the two-point discrimination threshold at fingers and shoulders. Results & conclusion: The results suggest a decreased tactile acuity in patients with chronic nonspecific complaints of arm, neck and shoulder and a faster reaction time at the painful arm, which might imply disturbed information processing of sensory and motor feedback. Due to the small sample size and low scores on the pain and disability questionnaires, these conclusions should be interpreted with care. Further research is recommended.

Tactile acuity is reduced in people with chronic neck pain

BACKGROUND

Tactile acuity deficits have been demonstrated in a range of persistent pain conditions and may reflect underlying cortical re-organisation.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine whether tactile acuity is impaired in people with chronic neck pain relative to controls, and whether deficits relate to pain location, duration and intensity.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 20 people with chronic neck pain (5 idiopathic neck pain; 15 whiplash-associated disorder) and 20 pain-free controls underwent two-point discrimination (TPD) testing at the neck, back and arm, and point-to-point (PTP) and graphesthesia tests of tactile acuity at the neck and arm.

RESULTS

Linear mixed effects models demonstrated a significant group*body region interaction for TPD, Graphesthesia and PTP tests (Ps < 0.001), with post hoc tests showing impaired TPD in people with neck pain relative to controls at the neck, low back, and arm (P ≤ 0.001). Graphesthesia and PTP was also impaired at the neck (P < 0.001) but not the arm (P ≥ 0.48). TPD correlated with intensity and duration of pain (Pearson's r = 0.48, P < 0.05; Pearson's r = 0.77, P < 0.01). There was no sig difference between the two neck pain groups for any tactile acuity measure (TPD: P = 0.054; Graphesthesia; P = 0.67; Point to Point: P = 0.77), however, low power limited confidence in this comparison.

CONCLUSION

People with chronic neck pain demonstrated tactile acuity deficits in painful and non-painful regions when measured using the TPD test, with the magnitude of deficits appearing greatest at the neck. The study also revealed a positive relationship between TPD and pain intensity/duration, further supporting the main study finding.