Aging and the Haptic Perception of Material Properties

Norman, J. Farley; Adkins, Olivia C.; Hoyng, Stevie C.; Dowell, Catherine; Pedersen, Lauren E.; Gilliam, Ashley N.

doi:10.1177/0301006616659073

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The experimental results show that young and old groups have significant differences in the performance of angle sorting tasks, as shown in Figure 12. Moreover, compared with the younger group, the performance of the elderly group has experienced a significant decline [t 22.79 = −2.784, p = 0.011, Cohen's d = −1.166], which is consistent with previous research showing that the ability to discern the angle decreases with age [44,45]. It is well known and confirmed that since cognitive ability declines with age, the angle discrimination ability of elderly subjects is significantly weaker than that of younger participants [46][47][48].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

A New Method for Haptic Shape Discriminability Detection

Liu

Yang

et al. 2021

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Touch shape discrimination is not only closely related to tactile mechanoreceptors but also higher cognitive function. However, previous shape discrimination methods are difficult to complete in a short time, and the devices are complicated to operate and not user-friendly for nonprofessionals. Here, we propose a new method, the evaluation quantity of which is the angle discrimination threshold. In addition, to make this method easy to use for nonprofessionals, we designed a haptic angle sorting system, including the device and software. To evaluate this method, the angle sorting and two-angle discrimination experiments were compared, and it was found that participants spent significantly less time in the former experiment than in the latter. At the same time, there is a strong correlation between the performance of angle sorting and two-angle discrimination, which shows that the angle threshold obtained by the new method can also be used to evaluate the ability of touch discrimination. Moreover, the angle sorting results of different age groups also further demonstrate the feasibility of the method. The efficiency of this new method and the effectiveness of the system also provide a convenient means for evaluating haptic shape discrimination, which may have potential clinical application value in the early diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and even in the evaluation of cognitive function.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

A New Method for Haptic Shape Discriminability Detection

Liu

Yang

et al. 2021

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is thus abundantly clear that dynamic touch on fine textures exhibits an age-related decline in discrimination ability which may well be related to the decrease in tactile discrimination sensitivity with age reported for static touch 1 – 4 and object discrimination 3 , 36 . The physical dimensions underpinning the active touch discrimination of fine textures have previously been identified 10 as being associated with the friction coefficient (and the resulting finger loading 15 ), and the wavelength of the surfaces.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Mechanisms of tactile sensory deterioration amongst the elderly

Skedung

Rawadi

Arvidsson

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is known that roughness-smoothness, hardness-softness, stickiness-slipperiness and warm-cold are predominant perceptual dimensions in macro-, micro- and nano- texture perception. However, it is not clear to what extent active tactile texture discrimination remains intact with age. The general decrease in tactile ability induces physical and emotional dysfunction in elderly, and has increasing significance for an aging population. We report a method to quantify tactile acuity based on blinded active exploration of systematically varying micro-textured surfaces and a same-different paradigm. It reveals that elderly participants show significantly reduced fine texture discrimination ability. The elderly group also displays statistically lower finger friction coefficient, moisture and elasticity, suggesting a link. However, a subpopulation of the elderly retains discrimination ability irrespective of cutaneous condition and this can be related to a higher density of somatosensory receptors on the finger pads. Skin tribology is thus not the primary reason for decline of tactile discrimination with age. The remediation of cutaneous properties through rehydration, however leads to a significantly improved tactile acuity. This indicates unambiguously that neurological tactile loss can be temporarily compensated by restoring the cutaneous contact mechanics. Such mechanical restoration of tactile ability has the potential to increase the quality of life in elderly.

show abstract

“…Discriminative aspects of tactile function are known to decline with age, including the ability to detect light touch (Newman, 1979;Bruce, 1980;Bruce and Sinclair, 1980;Thornbury and Mistretta, 1981), or vibration at different frequencies (Kenshalo, 1986;Thomson et al, 1993;Gescheider et al, 1994;Goble et al, 1996), to discriminate between different levels of surface roughness (Norman et al, 2016), or the distance between spatial features (Stevens, 1992;Stevens and Patterson, 1995;Stevens and Choo, 1996;Stevens et al, 1998;Desrosiers et al, 1999;Dinse et al, 2006), or to discriminate the direction of movement (Olausson et al, 1997;Lundblad et al, 2020). These capacities decline after around 60 years of age and this may be due to changing properties of the skin as well as neural degeneration of the peripheral and central nervous systems (Wickremaratchi and Llewelyn, 2006;Skedung et al, 2018).…”

Section: Changes In Touch Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Ageing on Tactile Function in Humans

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ageing is accompanied by a steady decline in touch sensitivity and acuity. Conversely, pleasant touch, such as experienced during a caress, is even more pleasant in old age. There are many physiological changes that might explain these perceptual changes, but researchers have not yet identified any specific mechanisms. Here, we review both the perceptual and structural changes to the touch system that are associated with ageing. The structural changes include reduced elasticity of the skin in older people, as well as reduced numbers and altered morphology of skin tactile receptors. Effects of ageing on the peripheral and central nervous systems include demyelination, which affects the timing of neural signals, as well as reduced numbers of peripheral nerve fibres. The ageing brain also undergoes complex changes in blood flow, metabolism, plasticity, neurotransmitter function, and, for touch, the body map in primary somatosensory cortex. Although several studies have attempted to find a direct link between perceptual and structural changes, this has proved surprisingly elusive. We also highlight the need for more evidence regarding age-related changes in peripheral nerve function in the hairy skin, as well as the social and emotional aspects of touch. Highlights • With age, touch sensitivity declines, and gentle touch becomes more pleasant. • Skin elasticity is reduced, and skin tactile receptors are reduced or altered. • Axonal loss and demyelination affect the amount and timing of neural signals. • The brain undergoes changes to somatotopic organisation, and many broad changes. • The link between perceptual and physiological age-related changes remains elusive.

show abstract

Aging and the Haptic Perception of Material Properties

Cited by 13 publications

References 36 publications

A New Method for Haptic Shape Discriminability Detection

A New Method for Haptic Shape Discriminability Detection

Mechanisms of tactile sensory deterioration amongst the elderly

The Effects of Ageing on Tactile Function in Humans

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About