Vibrotactile mapping of the upper extremity: Absolute perceived intensity is location-dependent; perception of relative changes is not

2022 | journal article. A publication with affiliation to the University of Göttingen.

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​Vibrotactile mapping of the upper extremity: Absolute perceived intensity is location-dependent; perception of relative changes is not​
Pardo, L. A.; Schilling, A. F.; Wilke, M. A.; Ernst, J. & Marković, M. ​ (2022) 
Frontiers in Neuroscience16 art. 958415​.​ DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.958415 

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Authors
Pardo, Luis A.; Schilling, Arndt F.; Wilke, Meike Annika; Ernst, Jennifer; Marković, Marko 
Abstract
Vibrotactile sensation is an essential part of the sense of touch. In this study, the localized vibrotactile sensation of the arm-shoulder region was quantified in 10 able-bodied subjects. For this analysis, the six relevant dermatomes (C3-T2) and three segments—the lower arm, the upper arm, and the shoulder region were studied. For psychometric evaluation, tasks resulting in the quantification of sensation threshold, just noticeable difference, Weber fraction, and perception of dynamically changing vibrotactile stimuli were performed. We found that healthy subjects could reliably detect vibration in all tested regions at low amplitude (2–6% of the maximal amplitude of commonly used vibrotactors). The detection threshold was significantly lower in the lower arm than that in the shoulder, as well as ventral in comparison with the dorsal. There were no significant differences in Weber fraction (20%) detectable between the studied locations. A compensatory tracking task resulted in a significantly higher average rectified error in the shoulder than that in the upper arm, while delay and correlation coefficient showed no difference between the regions. Here, we presented a conclusive map of the vibrotactile sense of the healthy upper limb. These data give an overview of the sensory bandwidth that can be achieved with vibrotactile stimulation at the arm and may help in the design of vibrotactile feedback interfaces (displays) for the hand/arm/shoulder-region.
Issue Date
2022
Journal
Frontiers in Neuroscience 
eISSN
1662-453X
Language
English
Sponsor
Open-Access-Publikationsfonds 2022

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