Nerdy Science Blog

Ever heard pick-up gurus always tell people try to make skin contact?  They claimed skin contact can create a special attachment between the target and you.  Researchers at Sahlgrenska Acamedy, Sweden, proves the pick-up artists are correct.

Researchers discovered that there are specialized nerve fibres in the skin for skin stroking, called CT nerves or C-tactile, which have direct route to the brain. Line Löken, a postgraduate student in neurophysiology at Sahlgrenska Acamedy said that the skin stroking impulses can travel to the brain that plays a role in emergence of feelings directly without any obstacle.  They even found that when pain and skin stroking were introduced at the same place, the stroking impulses actually halted the pain impulses.

According to Associate Professor Håkan Olausson, researchers used a technique call microneurography to detect the signals.  They insert a thin electrode into a nerve in the forearms to detect the impulses.  The researchers then use a robot that brush the same square centimetres area of skin to determine which nerve fibre is responsible for the pleasant or unpleasant feeling.  Researcher Johan Wessberg said that they found CT nerves are the one that responsible for the pleasant touch sensation.

The paper is published in April issue of Nature Neuroscience.  The authors include Line S Löken, Johan Wessberg, India Morrison, Francis McGlone, and Håkan Olausson

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