Background: In the hand mental rotation task, images and line drawings of hand at different angles are shown to the subjects, and they are asked to choose which hand (left or right) it is. Tactile stimulation is an appropriate technique to improve sensory and motor functions. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the impact of tactile stimulation on the hand mental rotation task. Methods: To meet the study objectives, 91 right-handed university students were selected to participate in this study. They were randomly divided into control (n = 41) and tactile stimulation (n = 50) groups. Participants were asked to perform a hand mental rotation task before and after tactile stimulation. The task required participants to judge the laterality (left or right) of hands as quickly and accurately as possible. The tactile stimulation was applied to the right index fingertip (16 Hz for 30 min). Results: In the tactile stimulation group, all angles for both right-and left-hand participants were analyzed, demonstrating significant decreases in the reaction time (P = 0.004) after tactile stimulation (mean: 1,908.24 ± 375.42 to 1,721.21 ± 428.99 milliseconds). In this group, the response accuracy rate increased considerably (P < 0.001) after tactile stimulation (mean: 78.43% ± 16.58 to 84.38% ± 18.15). In the control group, no significant differences were found between the measured parameters before and after sham stimulation. Conclusions:The current study demonstrated that tactile stimulation could improve hand mental rotation in healthy young adults, probably due to increased brain excitability and plasticity.

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Introduction: Recent studies have revealed the possibility of learning skills through alternative methods and repetitive tactile stimulation without explicit training. This study aimed to examine the effect of involuntary tactile stimulation on the memory and creativity of healthy participants. Methods: A group of 92 right-handed students participated in this study voluntarily. They were assigned to the experimental (n=45) and control (n=47) groups. The participants performed two creativity tests (divergent and convergent thinking) and a verbal memory task as the pretest. Then, the experimental group received 30-min involuntary tactile stimulation on the right index finger, and the control group did not. In the posttest, both groups were asked to perform the creativity and verbal memory tasks again. Results: The learning score and speed of the Rey auditory-verbal learning test in the stimulation group significantly increased (P=0.02). Moreover, in the creativity-related tests, there was a significant effect of the intervention on convergent thinking, i.e., the remote association task (P=0.03), but not for the divergent thinking, i.e., the alternative uses test (P>0.05). Conclusion: Using involuntary tactile stimulation on the index finger of the right hand of individuals could enhance their performance in verbal memory and creativity-convergent thinking.