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Ryan CP, Ciotti S, Cosentino L, Ernst MO, Lacquaniti F, Moscatelli A. Masking Vibrations and Contact Force Affect the Discrimination of Slip Motion Speed in Touch. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HAPTICS 2022; 15:693-704. [PMID: 36149999 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2022.3209072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Multiple cues contribute to the discrimination of slip motion speed by touch. In our previous article, we demonstrated that masking vibrations at various frequencies impaired the discrimination of speed. In this article, we extended the previous results to evaluate this phenomenon on a smooth glass surface, and for different values of contact force and duration of the masking stimulus. Speed discrimination was significantly impaired by masking vibrations at high but not at low contact force. Furthermore, a short pulse of masking vibrations at motion onset produced a similar effect as the long masking stimulus, delivered throughout slip motion duration. This last result suggests that mechanical events at motion onset provide important cues to the discrimination of speed.
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Ryan CP, Bettelani GC, Ciotti S, Parise C, Moscatelli A, Bianchi M. The interaction between motion and texture in the sense of touch. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:1375-1390. [PMID: 34495782 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00583.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides providing information on elementary properties of objects, like texture, roughness, and softness, the sense of touch is also important in building a representation of object movement and the movement of our hands. Neural and behavioral studies shed light on the mechanisms and limits of our sense of touch in the perception of texture and motion, and of its role in the control of movement of our hands. The interplay between the geometrical and mechanical properties of the touched objects, such as shape and texture, the movement of the hand exploring the object, and the motion felt by touch, will be discussed in this article. Interestingly, the interaction between motion and textures can generate perceptual illusions in touch. For example, the orientation and the spacing of the texture elements on a static surface induces the illusion of surface motion when we move our hand on it or can elicit the perception of a curved trajectory during sliding, straight hand movements. In this work we present a multiperspective view that encompasses both the perceptual and the motor aspects, as well as the response of peripheral and central nerve structures, to analyze and better understand the complex mechanisms underpinning the tactile representation of texture and motion. Such a better understanding of the spatiotemporal features of the tactile stimulus can reveal novel transdisciplinary applications in neuroscience and haptics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen P Ryan
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Bio-Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Gemma C Bettelani
- Research Center E. Piaggio, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Simone Ciotti
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Bio-Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Moscatelli
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space Bio-Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuromotor Physiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Bianchi
- Research Center E. Piaggio, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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