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Mirmoosavi M, Aminitabar A, Mirfathollahi A, Shalchyan V. Exploring altered oscillatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex after nerve injury: Insights into mechanisms of neuropathic allodynia. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 190:106381. [PMID: 38114049 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
While neural oscillations play a critical role in sensory perception, it remains unclear how these rhythms function under conditions of neuropathic allodynia. Recent studies demonstrated that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is associated with the affective-aversive component of pain, and plasticity changes in this region are closely linked to abnormal allodynic sensations. Here, to study the mechanisms of allodynia, we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) in the bilateral ACC of awake-behaving rats and compared the spectral power and center frequency of brain oscillations between healthy and CCI (chronic constriction injury) induced neuropathic pain conditions. Our results indicated that activation of the ACC occurs bilaterally in the presence of neuropathic pain, similar to the healthy condition. Furthermore, CCI affects both spontaneous and stimulus-induced activity of ACC neurons. Specifically, we observed an increase in spontaneous beta activity after nerve injury compared to the healthy condition. By stimulating operated or unoperated paws, we found more intense event-related desynchronization (ERD) responses in the theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands and faster alpha center frequency after CCI compared to before CCI. Although the behavioral manifestation of allodynia was more pronounced in the operated paw than the unoperated paw following CCI, there was no significant difference in the center frequency and ERD responses observed in the ACC between stimulation of the operated and unoperated limbs. Our findings offer evidence supporting the notion that aberrancies in ACC oscillations may contribute to the maintenance and development of neuropathic allodynia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnoosh Mirmoosavi
- Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Lab., Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16846-13114, Iran
| | - Amir Aminitabar
- Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Lab., Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16846-13114, Iran
| | - Alavie Mirfathollahi
- Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Lab., Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16846-13114, Iran; Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran 16583-44575, Iran
| | - Vahid Shalchyan
- Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research Lab., Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, Tehran 16846-13114, Iran.
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Kuc A, Skorokhodov I, Semirechenko A, Khayrullina G, Maksimenko V, Varlamov A, Gordleeva S, Hramov A. Oscillatory Responses to Tactile Stimuli of Different Intensity. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:9286. [PMID: 38005672 PMCID: PMC10675731 DOI: 10.3390/s23229286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Tactile perception encompasses several submodalities that are realized with distinct sensory subsystems. The processing of those submodalities and their interactions remains understudied. We developed a paradigm consisting of three types of touch tuned in terms of their force and velocity for different submodalities: discriminative touch (haptics), affective touch (C-tactile touch), and knismesis (alerting tickle). Touch was delivered with a high-precision robotic rotary touch stimulation device. A total of 39 healthy individuals participated in the study. EEG cluster analysis revealed a decrease in alpha and beta range (mu-rhythm) as well as theta and delta increase most pronounced to the most salient and fastest type of stimulation. The participants confirmed that slower stimuli targeted to affective touch low-threshold receptors were the most pleasant ones, and less intense stimuli aimed at knismesis were indeed the most ticklish ones, but those sensations did not form an EEG cluster, probably implying their processing involves deeper brain structures that are less accessible with EEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kuc
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Ivan Skorokhodov
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
| | - Alexey Semirechenko
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
| | - Guzal Khayrullina
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
| | - Vladimir Maksimenko
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Anton Varlamov
- Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Our Sunny World”, 109052 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Susanna Gordleeva
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Alexander Hramov
- Tactile Communication Research Laboratory, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 117485 Moscow, Russia; (A.K.); (I.S.); (A.S.); (G.K.); (V.M.); (S.G.)
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
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Petereit P, Weiblen R, Perry A, Krämer UM. Effects of social presence on behavioral, neural, and physiological aspects of empathy for pain. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:9954-9970. [PMID: 37462059 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In mediated interactions (e.g. video calls), less information is available about the other. To investigate how this affects our empathy for one another, we conducted an electroencephalogram study, in which 30 human participants observed 1 of 5 targets undergoing painful electric stimulation, once in a direct interaction and once in a live, video-mediated interaction. We found that observers were as accurate in judging others' pain and showed as much affective empathy via video as in a direct encounter. While mu suppression, a common neural marker of empathy, was not sensitive to others' pain, theta responses to others' pain as well as skin conductance coupling between participants were reduced in the video-mediated condition. We conclude that physical proximity with its rich social cues is important for nuanced physiological resonance with the other's experience. More studies are warranted to confirm these results and to understand their behavioral significance for remote social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Petereit
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ronja Weiblen
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anat Perry
- Psychology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ulrike M Krämer
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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Imagawa N, Mizuno Y, Nakata I, Komoto N, Sakebayashi H, Shigetoh H, Kodama T, Miyazaki J. The Impact of Stretching Intensities on Neural and Autonomic Responses: Implications for Relaxation. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:6890. [PMID: 37571672 PMCID: PMC10422553 DOI: 10.3390/s23156890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Stretching is an effective exercise for increasing body flexibility and pain relief. This study investigates the relationship between stretching intensity and relaxation effects, focusing on brainwaves and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. We used a crossover design with low- and high-intensity conditions to elucidate the impact of varying stretching intensities on neural activity associated with relaxation in 19 healthy young adults. Participants completed mood questionnaires. Electroencephalography (EEG) and plethysmography measurements were also obtained before, during, and after stretching sessions. The hamstring muscle was targeted for stretching, with intensity conditions based on the Point of Discomfort. Data analysis included wavelet analysis for EEG, plethysmography data, and repeated-measures ANOVA to differentiate mood, ANS activity, and brain activity related to stretching intensity. Results demonstrated no significant differences between ANS and brain activity based on stretching intensity. However, sympathetic nervous activity showed higher activity during the rest phases than in the stretch phases. Regarding brain activity, alpha and beta waves showed higher activity during the rest phases than in the stretch phases. A negative correlation between alpha waves and sympathetic nervous activities was observed in high-intensity conditions. However, a positive correlation between beta waves and parasympathetic nervous activities was found in low-intensity conditions. Our findings suggest that stretching can induce interactions between the ANS and brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Hayato Shigetoh
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Science, Kyoto Tachibana University, 34 Yamada-cho, Oyake, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8175, Japan (T.K.)
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Shimoju R. Cortical theta oscillations and 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in response to tactile reward indicate positive emotion in rats. Neurosci Lett 2023; 810:137328. [PMID: 37295641 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Rats emit 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which reflect positive affective states. Rhythmic stroking increases 50-kHz USVs via the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. However, little is known about the effect of tactile reward on rat brain activity. This study aimed to investigate the brain activity associated with positive emotions induced by tactile stimulation using a frontoparietal electroencephalogram (EEG) as well as through the analysis of 50-kHz USVs and behavioral activity in awake rats. During rhythmic stroking, the power of the middle theta band and harmonics calls significantly increased compared with baseline. After rhythmic stroking, fast theta oscillations significantly increased but slow theta significantly decreased, with abundant frequency-modulated (FM) calls. Light touch stimulation increased the fast theta power but decreased FM calls. However, there was no significant difference in behavior after stimulation with rhythmic stroking or light touch. These results suggest that the characteristic brain theta oscillations and 50-kHz USV profiles induced by tactile reward can detect positive affective states in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rie Shimoju
- Center for Basic Medical Research, International University of Health and Welfare, Otawara, Tochigi 324-8501, Japan.
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Pais-Vieira C, Allahdad MK, Perrotta A, Peres AS, Kunicki C, Aguiar M, Oliveira M, Pais-Vieira M. Neurophysiological correlates of tactile width discrimination in humans. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1155102. [PMID: 37250697 PMCID: PMC10213448 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1155102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tactile information processing requires the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents, but not in humans. Methods Here, we describe Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in humans performing a tactile width discrimination task. The first goal of this study was to describe changes in neural activity occurring during the discrimination and the response periods. The second goal was to relate specific changes in neural activity to the performance in the task. Results Comparison of changes in power between two different periods of the task, corresponding to the discrimination of the tactile stimulus and the motor response, revealed the engagement of an asymmetrical network associated with fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital electrodes and across multiple frequency bands. Analysis of ratios of higher [Ratio 1: (0.5-20 Hz)/(0.5-45 Hz)] or lower frequencies [Ratio 2: (0.5-4.5 Hz)/(0.5-9 Hz)], during the discrimination period revealed that activity recorded from frontal-parietal electrodes was correlated to tactile width discrimination performance between-subjects, independently of task difficulty. Meanwhile, the dynamics in parieto-occipital electrodes were correlated to the changes in performance within-subjects (i.e., between the first and the second blocks) independently of task difficulty. In addition, analysis of information transfer, using Granger causality, further demonstrated that improvements in performance between blocks were characterized by an overall reduction in information transfer to the ipsilateral parietal electrode (P4) and an increase in information transfer to the contralateral parietal electrode (P3). Discussion The main finding of this study is that fronto-parietal electrodes encoded between-subjects' performances while parieto-occipital electrodes encoded within-subjects' performances, supporting the notion that tactile width discrimination processing is associated with a complex asymmetrical network involving fronto-parieto-occipital electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Pais-Vieira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mehrab K. Allahdad
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde (CIIS), Instituto de Ciências da Saúde (ICS), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - André Perrotta
- Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra (CISUC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - André S. Peres
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carolina Kunicki
- Vasco da Gama Research Center (CIVG), Vasco da Gama University School (EUVG), Coimbra, Portugal
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Aguiar
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Manuel Oliveira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pais-Vieira
- Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute of Biomedicine, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Schienle A, Scheucher J, Zorjan S. Affective touch during the processing of angry facial expressions: an event-related potential study. Biol Psychol 2022; 175:108433. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Cella M, Acella E, Aquino A, Pisa V. Cranial osteopathic techniques and electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha power: a controlled crossover trial. J Osteopath Med 2022; 122:401-409. [PMID: 35675898 DOI: 10.1515/jom-2021-0257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Osteopathic tradition in the cranial field (OCF) stated that the primary respiratory mechanism (PRM) relies on the anatomical links between the occiput and sacrum. Few studies investigated this relationship with inconsistent results. No studies investigated the occiput-sacrum connection from a neurophysiological perspective. OBJECTIVES This study aims to determine whether the sacral technique (ST), compared to the compression of the fourth ventricle (CV4) technique, can affect brain alpha-band power (AABP) as an indicator of a neurophysiological connection between the occiput and sacrum. METHODS Healthy students, 22-30 years old for men and 20-30 years old for women, were enrolled in the study and randomized into eight interventions groups. Each group received a combination of active techniques (CV4 or ST) and the corresponding sham techniques (sham compression of the fourth ventricle [sCV4] or sham sacral technique [sST] ), organized in two experimental sessions divided by a 4 h washout period. AABP was continuously recorded by electroencephalogram (EEG) of the occipital area in the first 10 min of resting state, during each intervention (active technique time) and after 10 min (post-active technique time), for a total of approximately 50 min per session. Analysis was carried out utilizing a repeated-measure ANOVA within the linear general model framework, consisting of a within-subject factor of time and a within-subject factor of treatment (CV4/ST). RESULTS Forty healthy volunteers (mean age ± SD, 23.73±1.43 years; range, 21-26 years; 16 male and 24 female) were enrolled in the study and completed the study protocol. ANOVA revealed a time × treatment interaction effect statistically significant (F=791.4; p<0.001). A particularly high increase in mean AABP magnitude was recorded during the 10 min post-CV4, compared to both the CV4 and post-sCV4 application (p<0.001). During all the times analyzed for ST and sST application, no statistically significant differences were registered with respect to the resting state. CONCLUSIONS The ST does not produce immediate changes on occipital AABP brain activity. CV4, as previous evidence supported, generates immediate effects, suggesting that a different biological basis for OCF therapy's connection between the head and sacrum should be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Cella
- Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Osteopatia, Milan, Italy
| | - Eric Acella
- Department of Osteopathic Research at Istituto Superiore di Osteopatia (ISO), Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Aquino
- Department of Osteopathic Research at Istituto Superiore di Osteopatia (ISO), Milan, Italy
- Department of Health Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Clinical-based Human Research Department, COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Viviana Pisa
- Department of Osteopathic Research at Istituto Superiore di Osteopatia (ISO), Milan, Italy
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Croy I, Fairhurst MT, McGlone F. The role of C-tactile nerve fibers in human social development. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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10
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Saarinen A, Harjunen V, Jasinskaja-Lahti I, Jääskeläinen IP, Ravaja N. Social touch experience in different contexts: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:360-372. [PMID: 34537266 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Social touch is increasingly utilized in a variety of psychological interventions, ranging from parent-child interventions to psychotherapeutic treatments. Less attention has been paid, however, to findings that exposure to social touch may not necessarily evoke positive or pleasant responses. Social touch can convey different emotions from love and gratitude to harassment and envy, and persons' preferences to touch and be touched do not necessarily match with each other. This review of altogether 99 original studies focuses on how contextual factors modify target person's behavioral and brain responses to social touch. The review shows that experience of social touch is strongly modified by a variety of toucher-related and situational factors: for example, toucher's facial expressions, physical attractiveness, relationship status, group membership, and touched person's psychological distress. At the neural level, contextual factors modify processing of social touch from early perceptual processing to reflective cognitive evaluation. Based on the review, we present implications for using social touch in behavioral and neuroscientific research designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aino Saarinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Ville Harjunen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Inga Jasinskaja-Lahti
- Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Iiro P Jääskeläinen
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland; International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Niklas Ravaja
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Accurate assessment of low-function autistic children based on EEG feature fusion. J Clin Neurosci 2021; 90:351-358. [PMID: 34275574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2021.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a very serious neurodevelopmental disorder and diagnosis mainly depends on the clinical scale, which has a certain degree of subjectivity. It is necessary to make accurate evaluation by objective indicators. In this study, we enrolled 96 children aged from 3 to 6 years: 48 low-function autistic children (38 males and 10 females; mean±SD age: 4.9±1.1 years) and 48 typically developing (TD) children (38 males and 10 females; mean±SD age: 4.9 ± 1.2 years) to participate in our experiment. We investigated to fuse multi-features (entropy, relative power, coherence and bicoherence) to distinguish low-function autistic children and TD children accurately. Minimum redundancy maximum correlation algorithm was used to choose the features and support vector machine was used for classification. Ten-fold cross validation was used to test the accuracy of the model. Better classification result was obtained. We tried to provide a reliable basis for clinical evaluation and diagnosis for ASD.
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Kerautret Y, Guillot A, Daligault S, Di Rienzo F. Foam Rolling Elicits Neuronal Relaxation Patterns Distinct from Manual Massage: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sci 2021; 11:818. [PMID: 34203036 PMCID: PMC8234052 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The present double-blinded, randomized controlled study sought to compare the effects of a full-body manual massage (MM) and a foam rolling (FR) intervention on subjective and objective indexes of performance and well-being. A total of 65 healthy individuals were randomly allocated to an FR, MM, or a control group who received a cognitively oriented relaxation routine. Self-report ratings of perceived anxiety, muscle relaxation, and muscle pain were used to index changes in affect and physical sensations. The sit-and-reach and toe-touch tests, as well as a mental calculation task, were used to index motor and cognitive performances, respectively. We also conducted resting-state electroencephalography and continuous skin conductance recordings before and after the experimental intervention. Both FR and MM groups exhibited neural synchronization of alpha and beta oscillations during the posttest. Skin conductance increased from the pretest to the posttest in the relaxation group, but decreased in the FR group. All interventions improved range of motion, although only the MM group outperformed the relaxation group for the toe-touch performance. MM was associated with reduced muscle pain and increased muscle relaxation. Reduced perceived anxiety after the intervention was observed in the FR group only. Overall, MM and FR both improved objective and subjective indexes of performance and well-being. Differences between the two massage interventions are discussed in relation to the effects of pressure stimulation on autonomic regulations and the proactive vs. retroactive nature of FR, compared to MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Kerautret
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, EA 7424, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; (Y.K.); (A.G.)
- CAPSIX, 69002 Lyon, France
| | - Aymeric Guillot
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, EA 7424, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; (Y.K.); (A.G.)
- Institut Universitaire de France, F-75000 Paris, France
| | | | - Franck Di Rienzo
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, EA 7424, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; (Y.K.); (A.G.)
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Meijer LL, Ruis C, van der Smagt MJ, Scherder EJA, Dijkerman HC. Neural basis of affective touch and pain: A novel model suggests possible targets for pain amelioration. J Neuropsychol 2021; 16:38-53. [PMID: 33979481 PMCID: PMC9290016 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Pain is one of the most common health problems and has a severe impact on quality of life. Yet, a suitable and efficient treatment is still not available for all patient populations suffering from pain. Interestingly, recent research shows that low threshold mechanosensory C‐tactile (CT) fibres have a modulatory influence on pain. CT‐fibres are activated by slow gentle stroking of the hairy skin, providing a pleasant sensation. Consequently, slow gentle stroking is known as affective touch. Currently, a clear overview of the way affective touch modulates pain, at a neural level, is missing. This review aims to present such an overview. To explain the interaction between affective touch and pain, first the neural basis of the affective touch system and the neural processing of pain will be described. To clarify these systems, a schematic illustration will be provided in every section. Hereafter, a novel model of interactions between affective touch and pain systems will be introduced. Finally, since affective touch might be suitable as a new treatment for chronic pain, possible clinical implications will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carla Ruis
- Utrecht University, The Netherlands.,University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Spaccasassi C, Frigione I, Maravita A. Bliss in and Out of the Body: The (Extra)Corporeal Space Is Impervious to Social Pleasant Touch. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11020225. [PMID: 33673297 PMCID: PMC7917648 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11020225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Slow, gentle stimulation of hairy skin is generally accompanied by hedonic sensations. This phenomenon, also known as (positive) affective touch, is likely to be the basis of affiliative interactions with conspecifics by promoting inter-individual bindings. Previous studies on healthy humans have demonstrated that affective touch can remarkably impact behavior. For instance, by administering the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) paradigm, the embodiment of a fake hand enhances after a slow, affective touch compared to a fast, neutral touch. However, results coming from this area are not univocal. In addition, there are no clues in the existing literature on the relationship between affective touch and the space around our body. To overcome these lacks, we carried out two separate experiments where participants underwent a RHI paradigm (Experiment 1) and a Visuo-Tactile Interaction task (Experiment 2), designed to tap into body representation and peripersonal space processing, respectively. In both experiments, an affective touch (CT-optimal, 3 cm/s) and neutral touch (CT-suboptimal, 18 cm/s) were delivered by the experimenter on the dorsal side of participants’ hand through a “skin to skin” contact. In Experiment 1, we did not find any modulation of body representation—not at behavioral nor at a physiological level—by affective touch. In Experiment 2, no visuo-tactile spatial modulation emerged depending upon the pleasantness of the touch received. These null findings are interpreted in the light of the current scientific context where the real nature of affective touch is often misguided, and they offer the possibility to pave the way for understanding the real effects of affective touch on body/space representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Spaccasassi
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, ‘Alma Mater Studiorum’, Department of Psychology, Cesena Campus, Bologna University, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Ivana Frigione
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (I.F.); (A.M.)
| | - Angelo Maravita
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (I.F.); (A.M.)
- Milan Centre for Neurosciences, 20126 Milano, Italy
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Abstract
Several adult studies have proved the existence of a shared neural circuit in the somatosensory cortices that responds to both the body being touched and the sight of the body being touched. Despite the fundamental role of touch in infancy, the existence of similar visuo-tactile mirroring processes, supporting both felt and seen touch, still needs an in-depth empirical investigation. To this aim, we explored 8-month-olds mu desynchronization over somatosensory sites in response to felt and observed touch in a live experimental setting. EEG desynchronization (6-8 Hz mu frequency range) was measured during three experimental conditions: i) infants were stroked on their right hand by a parent (Touch condition); ii) infants observed a right hand being stroked (Observation Touch condition); iii) infants observed a right hand moving over the left hand without making contact (Action Control condition). Mu desynchronization of somatosensory sites contralateral to the hand being stroked emerged in response to both Touch and Observation Touch conditions, but not in the Action control condition. Further, greater mu desynchronization was found in the Touch and Observation Touch conditions as compared to the Action control condition. Our results highlight the early involvement of a shared somatosensory system, likely supporting infants' understanding of others' tactile sensations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Addabbo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca , Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience , Milano, Italy
| | - Ermanno Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca , Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience , Milano, Italy
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca , Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience , Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Nava
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca , Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience , Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca , Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience , Milano, Italy
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Portnova GV, Proskurnina EV, Sokolova SV, Skorokhodov IV, Varlamov AA. Perceived pleasantness of gentle touch in healthy individuals is related to salivary oxytocin response and EEG markers of arousal. Exp Brain Res 2020; 238:2257-2268. [PMID: 32719908 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05891-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Affective touch plays an important role in human social bonding, affiliative behavior, and in general emotional well-being. A system of unmyelinated low-threshold mechanosensitive C-type afferents innervating hairy skin (C-tactile or CT system) is postulated to provide the neurophysiological background of affective touch perception. C-tactile afferents respond optimally to soft and slow strokes, and this response correlates positively with pleasure ratings of tactile stimuli. As gentle touch is consistently associated with oxytocin release further promoting prosocial behavior, it has been suggested that this effect is mediated by the response of C-tactile afferents. This study assesses a possible link between CT-optimal touch, its subjective pleasantness, EEG indices of cortical arousal, and peripheral oxytocin response. EEG was recorded in 28 healthy volunteers during resting state and tactile stimulation[gentle slow brush strokes on forearm (CT-targeted touch) and palm (non-CT-targeted touch)]. Saliva samples were collected before and after the touch stimulation. Oxytocin concentration increase was significantly associated with greater subjective ratings of CT-targeted touch but not of non-CT-targeted touch, and with lower peak alpha frequency values indicating decreased cortical arousal. The findings suggest that CT-targeted stimulation triggers oxytocin release but only when the touch is perceived at an individual level as having clearly positive affective salience. This corresponds to previous studies reporting that oxytocin response to touch can be related to different personality factors, and bears important implications for planning touch-based interventions in social and medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina V Portnova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, 5A Butlerova St, Moscow, 117485, Russia.
- Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Moscow, Russia.
| | | | - Svetlana V Sokolova
- Medical Research and Educational Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan V Skorokhodov
- Rehabilitation Center for Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders "OUR SUNNY WORLD" (Non-Government, Non-Profit Organization), Moscow, Russia
| | - Anton A Varlamov
- Rehabilitation Center for Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders "OUR SUNNY WORLD" (Non-Government, Non-Profit Organization), Moscow, Russia
- Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Moscow, Russia
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García-Monge A, Rodríguez-Navarro H, González-Calvo G, Bores-García D. Brain Activity during Different Throwing Games: EEG Exploratory Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E6796. [PMID: 32957731 PMCID: PMC7559334 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the differences in brain activity in various types of throwing games by making encephalographic records. Three conditions of throwing games were compared looking for significant differences (simple throwing, throwing to a goal, and simultaneous throwing with another player). After signal processing, power spectral densities were compared through variance analysis (p ≤ 0.001). Significant differences were found especially in high-beta oscillations (22-30 Hz). "Goal" and "Simultaneous" throwing conditions show significantly higher values than those shown for throws without opponent. This can be explained by the higher demand for motor control and the higher arousal in competition situations. On the other hand, the high-beta records of the "Goal" condition are significantly higher than those of the "Simultaneous" throwing, which could be understood from the association of the beta waves with decision-making processes. These results support the difference in brain activity during similar games. This has several implications: opening up a path to study the effects of each specific game on brain activity and calling into question the transfer of research findings on animal play to all types of human play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso García-Monge
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Artistic and Body Expression, Faculty of Education of Valladolid, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain;
| | - Henar Rodríguez-Navarro
- Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education of Valladolid, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain;
| | - Gustavo González-Calvo
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Artistic and Body Expression, Faculty of Education of Palencia, University of Valladolid, 34004 Palencia, Spain;
| | - Daniel Bores-García
- Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Rey Juan Carlos University, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain
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Haggarty CJ, Malinowski P, McGlone FP, Walker SC. Autistic traits modulate cortical responses to affective but not discriminative touch. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 51:1844-1855. [PMID: 31793072 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The sense of touch is primarily considered a discriminative and exteroceptive sense, facilitating the detection, manipulation and exploration of objects, via an array of low-threshold mechanoreceptors and fast conducting A-beta (Aβ) afferents. However, a class of unmyelinated, low-threshold mechanoreceptors identified in the hairy skin of mammals have been proposed to constitute a second, anatomically distinct system coding the affective qualities of touch. Unlike Aβs, which increase their firing rate linearly with the velocity of a stimulus moving across their receptive field, the response of these C-tactile afferents (CTs) is described by an inverted 'U' curve fit, responding optimally to a skin temperature stimulus moving at between 1 and 10 cm/s. Given the distinct velocity tuning of these fast and slow touch fibres, here we used event-related potentials to compare the time course of neural responses to 1st (fast) and 2nd (slow) touch systems. We identified a higher amplitude P300 in response to fast, Aβ-targeted, versus slow CT-targeted, stroking touch. In contrast, we identified a previously described, C-fibre specific, ultra-late potential (ULP) associated with CT-targeted input. Of special note as regards the function of CTs is that the amplitude of the ULP was negatively correlated with self-reported levels of autistic traits, which is consistent with the hypothesized affective and social significance of this response. Taken together, these findings provide further support for distinct discriminative and affective touch systems and suggests the temporal resolution of EEG provides an as yet underutilized tool for exploring individual differences in response sensitivity to CT-targeted touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor J Haggarty
- Research Centre for Brain & Behaviour, School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Peter Malinowski
- Research Centre for Brain & Behaviour, School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Francis P McGlone
- Research Centre for Brain & Behaviour, School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Institute of Psychology, Health & Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Susannah C Walker
- Research Centre for Brain & Behaviour, School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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