A potential brain zone perceiving a comfortable fabric pressure touch. Issue 17 (September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yuan, Jie; Yu, Weidong; Wang, Qicai; Xu, Changliang; Chen, Kemin; Zhang, Zhongwei; Li, Yi
• Is Part Of: Textile research journal. Volume 89:Issue 17(2019)
• Page Start: 3499
• Page End: 3505
• Publication Date: 2019-09
• Subjects: fMRI -- right secondary somatosensory cortex -- fabric contact pressure -- comfortable; Textile industry -- Periodicals; Textile fabrics -- Periodicals; Textile research -- Periodicals; Textiles et tissus -- Industrie et commerce -- Périodiques; Textiles et tissus -- Périodiques; Textiles et tissus -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 677.005
• DOI: 10.1177/0040517518811941
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0040-5175

Abstract

The present study was carried out with a new approach to evaluating the comfort of fabric contact pressure. Functional magnetic resonance imaging technology was conducted to monitor brain response when a comfortable fabric contact pressure, according to the subjective evaluation, was applied to the skin surface of the lower human chest. After a strict method of calibration with a family-wise error check analysis, the study we performed revealed the right secondary somatosensory cortex appeared prominently positively activated under a comfortable fabric pressure state. This suggested the secondary somatosensory cortex brain region, particularly the right secondary somatosensory cortex, was probably the characteristic brain region for fabric comfort perception. A reasonable explanation was that proper contact pressure facilitated the serial information flow from the primary somatosensory cortex to the secondary somatosensory cortex, and comfortable touch stimulated the firing of A-beta afferent nerves.