Psychophysiology and motivated emotion: testing the affective touch hypothesis of C-tactile afferent function

The affective touch hypothesis posits a class of unmyelinated, low threshold mechanoreceptors form a distinct channel signaling the affective dimension of touch. The preferred stimulus of these CT afferents is a low force and velocity, skin temperature stroke, typical of a caress. A growing body of research has utilized psychophysiological techniques to study the implicit effects of CT targeted touch. Here we consider that literature in the context of an established, comparative model of motivated emotion. Consistent with their hypothesized social-affective function, preliminary evidence indicates CT targeted touch has a positive affective value, lowers arousal and modulates neural responses to concurrently experienced affective cues. We propose that psychophysiological research grounded in motivational theories of emotion adds unique value to the exploration of the affective touch hypothesis.