Reliability of tactile perception and suppression measurements

Abstract

AbstractTactile signals arising on one’s own body allow estimation of one’s own sensory state and foster interactions with the environment. However, tactile perception can be influenced by various factors. For instance, tactile perception is impaired on a moving than resting limb, a phenomenon termed tactile suppression. Here we examine whether tactile perception during resting and during movement is robust over shorter and longer time intervals. Participants had to detect tactile stimuli of various intensities on their index finger while this finger was resting or moving (finger extension). This detection task was performed on four separate days across a period of one month. We found that tactile perception during resting is robust within single sessions and across days. However, tactile perception during movement was poorer with more exposure to the task, both within and across sessions. Nevertheless, equivalence testing shows that this poorer sensitivity during movement as a function of time cannot explain the phenomenon of tactile suppression reported in the literature. The implications of these findings for wearable haptic interfaces are discussed in light of time-related changes in tactile suppression.