Affective touch and cutaneous pain are two sub-modalities of interoception with contrasting affective qualities (pleasantness/unpleasantness) and social meanings (care/harm), yet their direct relationship has not been investigated. In 50 women, taking into account individual attachment styles, we assessed the role of affective touch and particularly the contribution of the C tactile (CT) system in subjective and electrophysiological responses to noxious skin stimulation, namely N1 and N2-P2 laser-evoked potentials. When pleasant, slow (versus fast) velocity touch was administered to the (non-CT-containing) palm of the hand, higher attachment anxiety predicted increased subjective pain ratings, in the same direction as changes in N2 amplitude. By contrast, when pleasant touch was administered to CT-containing skin of the arm, higher attachment anxiety predicted attenuated N1 and N2 amplitudes. Higher attachment avoidance predicted opposite results. Thus, CT-based affective touch can modulate pain in early and late processing stages (N1 and N2 components), with the direction of effects depending on attachment style. Affective touch not involving the CT system seems to affect predominately the conscious perception of pain, possibly reflecting socio-cognitive factors further up the neurocognitive hierarchy. Affective touch may thus convey information about available social resources and gate pain responses depending on individual expectations of social support.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interoception beyond homeostasis: affect, cognition and mental health’.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study of chronic knee osteoarthritis pain using a range of functional connectivity analyses to better understand brain network changes.

Table S2. List of medication taken by patients Participant Medication taken Levothyroxine, Omeprazole, iron supplement none ibuprofen (1 x 400mg 3 hours before visit), atorvastatin, lansoprazole, cetirizine fibrogel, trospium chloride atenolol 50mg, ramipril 10mg, metformin 500mg, NovoRapid FlexPen 100mg, marol 100mg, candesartan 16mg, tramadol 50mg (taken 6 hours before visit), aspirin 75mg , bendroflomethiazide 2.5mg, fenbid 5% gel, lanzoprozole 15mg, lantus 100 units, laxido orange powder sachets, paracetamol 500mg (taken 6 hours before visit) codeine phosphate 2 x 30 mg/day, simvastatin 40mg, amitriptyline 10mg, voltarol gel , paracetamol ramipril 5mg, amipril 5mg, glucosamine & cod liver oil and garlic tablet paracetamol 1000mg (>4 hours before visit) amlodipine 5mg, aspirin 75mg, beclometasone 50mg, betamethasone valerate 0.025% cream, bisoprolol 10mg, cichocaine 0.5%, fenbid 5% gel, furosemide 40mg, glyceryl trinitraide 400mg, mometasore 50mg, nicorandil 10mg & 20mg, omeprazole 20mg, ramipril 10mg, simvastatin 20mg, Tardisc XL Amitriptyline 20mg/day, Amlodipine 10mg/day, Citalopram 20mg/day, Omeprazole 20mg/day, Paracetamol 4 x 1000mg/day, Ramipril 2.5mg/day, Rizatriptan 5mg, Tramadol 4 x 100mg/day (taken 1, 4 and 14 hours before visit) Cocodamol, codeine 8mg, Acid reflux Glucoside, Omeprazole 10mg, Paracetamol 2 x 500mg (taken 2 hours before visit), Codeine 30mg (taken 2 hours before visit)