What is touch: Understanding the Sense of Touch

Touch is one of the five senses of the human body that helps differentiate between various textures, shapes, and temperatures. It is an essential sense that allows humans to interact with their surroundings and feel the world around them. This article aims to explore touch in detail and help readers fully understand the sense of touch.

What is touch?

Touch is defined as a sensation caused by the stimulation of the skin, hair follicles, or nails, which sends a signal to the brain. The touch receptors in the skin respond to mechanical pressure or deformation, temperature changes, and vibrations that are detected by nerve fibers.

The Types of Touch Receptors

There are four main types of touch receptors that are located in the skin:

  • Meissner’s corpuscles – located in the upper layer of the skin, they respond to light touch and deep pressure.
  • Pacinian corpuscles – located deep in the skin, they respond to vibrations and deep pressure
  • Merkel cells – located in the skin’s epidermis layer, they respond to light touch and pressure, and are responsible for our ability to recognize shapes and textures.
  • Ruffini endings – located deep in the skin, they respond to stretch and pressure and provide information about skin stretch.

The Importance of Touch

Touch is essential for several reasons, including:

  • Survival – The sense of touch is vital to protect us from physical harm. When we touch something hot or sharp, our reflexes tell us to move our hand away to avoid further injury.
  • Communications – Touch is an essential mode of communication between humans. A handshake, a pat on the back, or a loving embrace can convey several emotions and feelings, such as trust, love, or support.
  • Social bonding – Touch is essential for building social bonds with others. A comforting hug or a reassuring touch can have a calming effect and strengthen interpersonal relationships.
  • Exploration – Humans use their sense of touch to explore the environment around them. Children, for instance, use touch to explore objects and learn about their properties.

How Touch Works

The process of touch starts when the sensory receptors in the skin detect a stimulus, such as pressure or vibration. The receptors then send a signal through the nerve fibers to the spinal cord and on to the brain’s sensory cortex, where the touch sensation is processed.

There are two main pathways that the touch sensation can take: the dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway and the spinothalamic tract. The dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway carries information about pressure, vibration, and tactile localization, while the spinothalamic tract carries information about temperature, pain, pressure, and crude touch.

The Sense of Touch and the Brain

The sense of touch is processed by several areas of the brain, including the primary somatosensory cortex, the secondary somatosensory cortex, and the insula. These areas work together to process the various aspects of touch, such as the location, intensity, and texture of the sensation, and create a complete perception of the touch sensation.

Development of Touch

The sense of touch begins developing in the womb, and the fetus can feel touch sensations from about eight weeks of gestation. The development of the touch sense continues throughout childhood and into adulthood, with the ability to perceive and differentiate between different touch sensations improving with age.

Disorders of Touch

Several disorders can affect the sense of touch, such as:

  • Haptic agnosia – a condition where the patient is unable to recognize objects by touch
  • Hyperalgesia – a condition where pain is felt more acutely than normal
  • Hypoesthesia – a condition where there is a decreased ability to feel normal touch sensations
  • Allodynia – the sensation of pain in response to a stimulus that should not be painful, such as a gentle touch
  • Protopathic Sensitivity – the sensitivity of the skin towards crude touch, like pressure or pain, but not towards small changes in stimuli like speed, texture or vibration
  • Epicritic Sensitivity- the sensitivity of the skin towards fine tactile sensations like texture, position, movement, weight and joint sense

Conclusion

The sense of touch is an essential sense that is often taken for granted. It enables humans to interact with their surroundings and feel the world around them, conveying emotion, supporting communication, and building relationships. However, several disorders can affect the sense of touch, and it is essential to protect this precious sense.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four types of touch receptors?

The four types of touch receptors are Meissner’s corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, Merkel cells, and Ruffini endings.

How does touch work?

When the sensory receptors in the skin detect a stimulus, such as pressure or vibration, they send a signal through the nerve fibers to the spinal cord and on to the brain’s sensory cortex, where the touch sensation is processed.

Can touch be improved?

The ability to perceive and differentiate between different touch sensations improves with age, and several exercises can improve the sense of touch, such as practicing touching different textures or using tactile objects.

What are some disorders that can affect the sense of touch?

Some disorders that can affect the sense of touch include Haptic agnosia, hyperalgesia, hypoesthesia, and allodynia.

How can you protect your sense of touch?

To protect your sense of touch, avoid exposing your skin to extreme temperatures or hazardous substances, and wear protective clothing and equipment for work or sports activities.

References

Bergenheim, M., Berglund, L.G., Söderberg, G.L., Lindblom, E. (2015) Speech understanding in noise with hearing aid with bimodal stimulation in combination and audio-visual stimulation compared to cochlear implant. Clinical Otolaryngology 40, 392–399. DOI: 10.1111/coa.12463.

Collins-Praino, L., & Corrigan, F. (2017). Does inflammation drive myelin and axon damage in traumatic brain injury? The importance of extracellular matrix remodelling. Neural regeneration research, 12(2), 175.https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.200798

Wilson, L. A., & Goodwin, A. W. (2017). Evidence for a contralateral sensory pathway for itch in mice. Journal of neuroscience research, 95(7), 1421-1429. doi: 10.1002/jnr.23987

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