Characteristics of vicarious touch reports in a general population

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 1, 2024

Abstract Vicarious touch broadly refers to sensory, neural, or affective responses observing on another person. In this study, we focus the conscious experience of these sensations. We collected vicarious reports from 422 undergraduate students who viewed videos Validated Touch-Video Database (VTD), a stimulus set systematically rated for hedonic qualities, arousal, and perceived threat levels. A surprisingly large majority (84%) participants reported sensations such as touch, tingling, pressure, pain, predominantly matching location hands observed in videos. Contrary previous studies, found that was more prevalent women than men. Additionally, while earlier research suggested correlation between emotional reactivity, our data did not support relationship. The nature intensity varied strongly with content videos: pleasant touches often evoked ticklish warm sensations, unpleasant resulted pain pressure. Participants regularly described their either unpleasant, indicating qualities were mirrored experiences. Subjective arousal ratings taken VTD each video correlated prevalence measured here, painful, highly arousing eliciting strongest responses. Even non-human object occasionally triggered similar Using new clustering approach, identified three distinct profiles characterised by unique sensory experiences, variations localisation differences person versus an object. Overall, results challenge traditional view experiences are rare phenomenon underscore diversity perception.

Language: Английский

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Dynamic functional adaptations during touch observation in autism: connectivity strength is linked to attitudes towards social touch and social responsiveness

Molecular Autism, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16(1)

Published: Feb. 18, 2025

Language: Английский

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HD-tDCS effects on social impairment in autism spectrum disorder with sensory processing abnormalities: a randomized controlled trial

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: March 21, 2025

This study examined the effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on social impairment in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing those and without sensory processing abnormalities. A randomized double-blind sham-controlled trial involved 72 ASD, divided into three groups based integration status. post-hoc analysis 51 aged 4–8 years who received true HD-tDCS was conducted, categorizing them hypo-tactile, hyper-tactile, typical tactile sensitivity groups. Therapeutic efficacy compared across these (1) The cntrolled Trial: group showed significant improvements awareness (t = 5.032, p < 0.000) autistic mannerisms 3.085, 0.004) to dysfunction group. (2)The result analysis: hypo-tactile exhibited notable awareness, cognition, communication, mannerisms, total SRS scores. In contrast, hyper-tactile only had a reduction communication 2.385, 0.022) post-intervention. effectively improved symptoms particularly either or responsiveness.

Language: Английский

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The Validated Touch-Video Database

Behavior Research Methods, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 57(5)

Published: March 31, 2025

Language: Английский

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Relationships between brain activity, tryptophan-related gut metabolites, and autism symptomatology

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16(1)

Published: April 14, 2025

While it has been suggested that alterations in the composition of gut microbial metabolites may play a causative role pathophysiology autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is not known how are associated with ASD-specific brain alterations. In this cross-sectional, case-control observational study, (i) fecal metabolomics, (ii) task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and (iii) behavioral assessments were obtained from 43 ASD 41 neurotypical (NT) children, aged 8-17. The fMRI tasks used socio-emotional sensory paradigms commonly reveal strong evoked differences participants. Our results show levels specific tryptophan-related metabolites, including kynurenate, significantly lower compared to NT, with: 1) insular cingulate cortical activity previously implicated ASD; 2) severity symptoms (e.g., ADOS scores, disgust propensity, sensitivities). Moreover, mid-insula mid-cingulate mediated relationships between tryptophan (indolelactate betaine) sensitivity. Thus, we identify associations symptoms, humans, particularly regions interoceptive processing.

Language: Английский

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Rapid visual engagement in neural processing of detailed touch interactions

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Aug. 30, 2024

Abstract Touch perception is an inherently multisensory process in which vision plays essential role. However, our understanding of how encodes sensory and emotional-affective aspects observed touch, the timing these processes, still limited. Here we address this gap by investigating neural dynamics visual touch observation analysing electroencephalographic (EEG) data from participants viewing detailed hand interactions Validated Touch-Video Database. We examined brain basic body cues such as orientation perspective, addition to aspects, including type (e.g., stroking vs. pressing; object touch) involved knife, brush), well dimensions. Using multivariate decoding, information about was present within 60 ms, with emotional details, valence, arousal, pain around 130 demonstrating efficient early processing. Threat most clearly identified approximately 265 similarly involving regions, suggesting that evaluations require slightly extended engagement. Our findings reveal bottom-up, automatic processing integral complex tactile assessments, important for rapidly extracting both personal relevance dimensions touch.

Language: Английский

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The validated touch-video database

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 2, 2023

Abstract Visually observing a touch quickly reveals who is being touched, how it might feel, and the broader social or emotional context, shaping our interpretation of such interactions. Exploring these different dimensions crucial for understanding we process tactile experiences in ourselves empathise with others. However, much existing research on visual perception has relied simplified static stimuli, which fail to capture dynamic complexity real-world To address this, introduce Validated Touch-Video Database (VTD), set 90 videos depicting interactions stationary left hand, viewed from first-person perspective. In each video, second hand makes contact either directly (e.g., fingers an open palm) using object soft brush scissors), variations across as arousal, threat, hedonic qualities, type, used. Validation by 350 participants (283 women, 66 men, 1 non-binary) involved categorising ‘neutral’, ‘pleasant’, ‘unpleasant’, ‘painful’ rating levels arousal threat. Our findings reveal high inter-subject agreement, painful eliciting highest threat ratings, while neutral served baseline. Women rated more threatening compared suggesting potential gender differences assessing stimuli negative valence. The VTD provides comprehensive resource researchers investigating sensory observed touch.

Language: Английский

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Pupillary response during social emotion tasks in autism spectrum disorder

Autism Research, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 17(10), P. 2120 - 2132

Published: Aug. 2, 2024

Autistic individuals encounter challenges in recognizing emotional expressions of others. Pupillary response has been proposed as an indicator arousal dysregulation or cognitive load. The pupillary autistic during socio-affective tasks remains unclear. This study investigated adults when viewing faces/eyes and emotions the Reading Mind Eyes Test (RMET) watching interpersonal touch scenes social task. included 98 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder 37 typically developing controls (TD). Pupil size was measured using Tobii X2-30 Eye Tracker. results showed that had larger maximal pupil sizes, smaller minimal greater change rates size, particularly RMET Clinical correlations revealed attention switching difficulty positively correlated mean TD participants, while communication deficits participants. In conclusion, our findings suggest atypical responses tasks, indicating heightened demand. Further investigation is necessary to understand underlying mechanisms their association traits.

Language: Английский

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Exploring changes in brain function in IBD patients using SPCCA: a study of simultaneous EEG-fMRI

Mathematical Biosciences & Engineering, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 21(2), P. 2646 - 2670

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Research on functional changes in the brain of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is emerging around world, which brings new perspectives to medical research. In this paper, methods canonical correlation analysis (CCA), kernel (KCCA), and sparsity preserving (SPCCA) were applied fusion simultaneous EEG-fMRI data from 25 IBD 15 healthy individuals. The CCA, KCCA SPCCA used for processing compare results obtained by three methods. clearly show that there a significant difference activation intensity between control (HC), not only frontal lobe (p < 0.01) temporal regions, but also posterior cingulate gyrus 0.01), rectus amygdala are usually neglected. mean was 60.1. However, 36.9 49.8 using CCA KCCA. addition, relevant components selected during calculation high, with up 0.955; alternatively, correlations calculations 0.917 0.926, respectively. It can be seen indeed superior high-dimensional multimodal data. This work reveals process analyzing state disease, provides further perspective study function, opens avenue studying method change disease.

Language: Английский

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Relationships between tryptophan-related gut metabolites, brain activity, and autism symptomatology

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: July 25, 2024

Gut microbial metabolites have been theorized to play a causative role in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This hypothesis is based on results from mechanistic preclinical studies and several correlational showing differences gut composition between ASD subjects neurotypical (NT) controls. However, alterations how human brain interacts with microbiome not examined. In this cross-sectional, case-control observational study, fecal metabolomics, task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), behavioral assessments were obtained 43 41 NT children aged 8-17. The fMRI tasks socio-emotional sensory paradigms that commonly show strong evoked participants. General linear models mediational modeling applied examine links tryptophan metabolism activity behavior. Results indicated levels specific tryptophan-related associated with: 1) atypicalities regions previously implicated (i.e., insula cingulate); 2) severity symptomatology ADOS scores, disgust propensity, sensitivities). Importantly, mid-insula mid-cingulate significantly mediated relationships metabolites, indolelactate betaine, sensitivity. To our knowledge, first study elucidate interactions may impact symptomatology, particularly pathways vagal interoceptive/emotion processing.

Language: Английский

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