Latest

touch

·October 29, 2025·7 min read

How Neurons Feel Force: Uncovering the Physics of Touch

A groundbreaking study reveals how neurons sense and transmit mechanical forces across their membranes—a key to understanding touch, movement, and development. Using precision laser-based optical tweezers, researchers discovered that tension travels faster in touch-sensing neurons than in movement-sensing ones.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 21, 2025·6 min read

When a Hug Turns Dark: How Manipulative Partners Use Touch

Touch can strengthen bonds and calm stress, but not all affection is sincere. A new study reveals that people with “dark triad” traits—narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism—often use physical touch to control or manipulate their romantic partners.

This shows a person surrounded by sound waves.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 15, 2025·5 min read

Feeling the Music: Touch Amplifies Emotional Power of Sound

A new study shows that combining touch with hearing profoundly intensifies emotional responses to music. Using a custom-built device that transforms sound into tactile vibrations, researchers found that people experienced more joy, connection, and reduced anxiety when they could both hear and feel the music.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 1, 2025·9 min read

Pianists Can Shape Piano Timbre Through Touch

A new study has scientifically confirmed that pianists can change piano timbre mid-performance through touch alone. Using high-speed sensors, researchers captured key movements and showed that subtle differences in motion aligned with the timbre that listeners perceived.

This shows a brain with the cerebral cortex highlighted.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 11, 2025·7 min read

Touch-Processing Brain Layers Age Differently

Researchers found that the touch-processing region of the brain ages in a layered pattern, with some layers staying resilient while others thin over time. High-resolution MRI scans revealed that the middle and upper layers of the primary somatosensory cortex often remain stable or thicken with age, likely due to frequent sensory stimulation.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 3, 2025·5 min read

BCI Helps Paralyzed Users Feel Again

In a breakthrough study, researchers enabled brain-computer interface (BCI) users with tetraplegia to create personalized tactile sensations, marking a step toward restoring realistic touch. Unlike previous attempts where artificial touch felt generic, participants could adjust stimulation parameters to make digital objects—like a cat, apple, or key—feel distinct.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 4, 2024·7 min read

16 Nerve Cell Types Identified in Human Touch

Researchers identified 16 distinct types of nerve cells involved in human touch and compared them with those in mice and macaques, showing both shared and unique traits. The study reveals unexpected complexities in how nerve cells respond to stimuli, suggesting a sensory system that integrates multiple types of sensations.

This shows emoji faces and a person's hand.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 12, 2024·4 min read

Tactile Emoticons Boost Social Media Communication

Incorporating tactile emoticons into social media interactions enhances feelings of support and approval. Participants using a mock platform preferred receiving feedback through both visual and tactile cues over visual-only feedback. Tactile feedback, such as a stroke on the forearm, conveyed additional emotional context. The findings suggest touch can improve digital communication, informing future technology developments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 8, 2024·6 min read

Healing Touch: Mental Health Improved with Touch Intervention

Touch interventions significantly benefit both physical and mental health, with particular advantages for individuals facing health challenges. The study, aggregating hundreds of individual studies, demonstrates that the nature of the touch, the person providing it, or the duration matters less than the frequency, suggesting even brief interactions like hugs can be profoundly impactful.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 13, 2024·4 min read

Touch and See: Unlocking Early Self-Recognition in Toddlers

A new study reveals the role of touch in early self-recognition among toddlers. By using vibrating discs to encourage babies to touch their faces, researchers found these children developed self-awareness earlier than their peers.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 27, 2023·5 min read

Hair Follicles’ Hidden Role in Touch Sensation

A new study uncovered a previously unknown mechanism in hair follicles that allows us to detect touch. Previously, sensation was attributed only to nerve endings in the skin, but this study reveals that cells within hair follicles can also sense touch.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 23, 2023·8 min read

Origins of Pleasurable Touch Traced From Skin to Brain

Study reveals a skin-to-brain neural circuit that responds to rewarding forms of social touch. Researchers say the findings could provide an avenue for harnessing the power of touch to assist in treating social and emotional disorders.