Effect of Continuous Touch on Brain Functional Connectivity Is Modified by the Operator's Tactile Attention

摘要: Touch has been always regarded as a powerful communication channel playing key role in governing our emotional wellbeing and possibly perception of self. Several studies demonstrated that the stimulation C-tactile afferent fibers, essential neuroanatomical elements affective touch, activates specific brain areas activation pattern is influenced by subject's attention. However, no research investigated how cognitive status who administering touch produces changes functional connectivity touched subjects. In this magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we while subjects were receiving static an operator engaged either tactile attention or auditory task. This randomized-controlled single-blinded study enrolled 40 healthy right-handed adults randomly assigned to (OTA) (OAA) group. During five fMRI resting-state runs, was delivered focused his either: (i) on from hands (OTA group); (ii) repeated stimulus (OAA group). Functional analysis revealed prolonged sustained applied with produced significant increase anticorrelation between posterior cingulate cortex (PCC-seed) right insula (INS) well inferior-frontal gyrus but these are markedly different only after 15 min touching across OTA OAA conditions. Interestingly, data also showed PCC left INS distinct over time. Indeed, PCC-left start end earlier compared PCC-right INS. Taken together, results if particular time, it able elicit effects subjects' patterns involving cortical processing interoceptive attentional value touch.