Influence of passive tactile contact of arms on the maintenance of upright posture in humans

Psychophysiological Indicators of Postural Control. Contribution of the Russian Scientific School. Part I

“…It is known that the visual and vestibular inputs demonstrate the ability to play a dominant role in postural control; however, the role of tactile signals has recently also raised interest. Some works [ 84 , 85 ] showed the postural control mechanism, where COP oscillation parameters changed without the modulating effect of proprioceptive, visual, or vestibular receptors. Therefore, an additional receptor system has been proposed, which seems to depend on tactile sensations and to be associated with disorders of the musculoskeletal system [ 84 , 85 ].…”

“…Some works [ 84 , 85 ] showed the postural control mechanism, where COP oscillation parameters changed without the modulating effect of proprioceptive, visual, or vestibular receptors. Therefore, an additional receptor system has been proposed, which seems to depend on tactile sensations and to be associated with disorders of the musculoskeletal system [ 84 , 85 ]. It has been established that a light (i.e., “unsupported”) touch of a finger or forearm skin reduces postural fluctuations, even even though the forces of contact were much lower than those necessary for providing mechanical support [ 84 – 86 ].…”

“…It has been established that a light (i.e., “unsupported”) touch of a finger or forearm skin reduces postural fluctuations, even even though the forces of contact were much lower than those necessary for providing mechanical support [ 84 – 86 ]. It presupposes that the tactile signals from finger or forearm skin can be combined with other sensory information in the CNS, providing different spatial orientations in posture stabilization [ 85 ].…”