In a previous study, we reported evidence for correlations between the firing of postsynaptic dorsal column (PSDC) neurons and cuneate neurons with overlapping receptive fields on the glabrous skin of the raccoon forepaw. The evidence was based on cross-correlation and frequency response analyses of spontaneously firing neurons. However, cross-correlation without white noise Gaussian analog inp...

The frequency selectivity of the P, NP I, and NP II channels of the four-channel model of mechanoreception for glabrous skin was measured psychophysically by an adaptation tuning curve procedure. The results substantially extend the frequency range over which the frequency selectivity of these channels is known and further confirm the hypothesis that the input stage of each of these channels co...

Upon continued submersion in water, the glabrous skin on human hands and feet forms wrinkles. The formation of these wrinkles is known to be an active process, controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Such an active control suggests that these wrinkles may have an important function, but this function has not been clear. In this study, we show that submerged objects are handled more quickly ...

High-threshold primary afferent units were selected from the population of axons functionally isolated in fine filaments dissected from the median and ulnar nerves of macaque monkeys. In 47 experiments, 536 such units were studied. They comprised 345 A-delta and 191 C fiber units; 90 low-threshold mechanoreceptive afferents were also studied for comparison. The high-threshold units were categor...

Modulatory influences on spinal mechanical transmission from the rostral medial medulla (RMM) were studied. Noxious stimulation, produced by von Frey-like monofilaments, and non-noxious stimulation, produced by a soft brush, was applied to the glabrous skin of the hind foot. At 28 sites in RMM, electrical stimulation facilitated responses to noxious mechanical stimulation at low intensities (5-...

When we grasp and manipulate an object, populations of tactile nerve fibers become activated and convey information about the shape, size, and texture of the object and its motion across the skin. The response properties of tactile fibers have been extensively characterized in single-unit recordings, yielding important insights into how individual fibers encode tactile information. A recurring ...