Circulatory responses to tactile stimulation and its neural mechanisms in both human subjects and animals

Abstract

Our studies on circulatory responses to tactile stimulation in both animals and human subjects are introduced. Tactile stimuli decreased arterial pressure and heart rate in both animals and humans. The heart rate decreases induced by tactile stimulation of dorsal skin were due to decreased sympathetic nerve activity and increased parasympathetic nerve activity in both anesthetized animals and conscious humans. Thermal + tactile stimulation prolonged the heart rate response in humans; however, no effect of thermal stimulation was observed in animals under anesthesia. The comfort score of thermal + tactile stimulus was higher than that of tactile stimulus alone, suggesting that thermal stimulus may affect autonomic nerve activity of the heart mainly by affecting emotions.