Tactile stimulation of young WAG/Rij rats prevents development of depression but not absence epilepsy.

Investigations in Wistar Albino Glaxo from Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats that are susceptible to genetic absence epilepsy have demonstrated that environmental modifications affect absence seizures. Previously, we showed that neonatal tactile stimulations produce disease-modifying effect on genetically determined absence epilepsy and associated depression in Wag/Rij rats. The study presented here examined the effect of TS during late ontogenesis (adolescence and young adulthood) on epilepsy and depression outcomes in this genetically epileptic rat strain. On postnatal day (PND) 38, male WAG/Rij rats randomly were assigned to either the tactile stimulation (TS), handled or control group (unhandled) with 8 animals in each group. Following a 7-day adaptation period to their new surroundings, the animals were submitted to tactile stimulation from PND 45 to PND 90, five days per week, for 5 min daily. The tactile-stimulated rat was removed from its cage, placed on the experimenter's lap, and had its neck and back gently stroked by the researcher. The handled rats were taken to another cage and left alone for 5 min daily from PND 45 to PND 90. The control rats were left undisturbed in their home cage, except for regular cage cleaning. After PND 90, all rats were left undisturbed until behavioral testing and EEG recording. When the animals were 7 months old, they were subjected to the sucrose consumption test (SCT) and the forced swimming test (FST). Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were made at 8 months of age in order to measure electroencephalographic seizure activity, thus, the spike-wave discharges (SWDs). Tactile-stimulated rats showed increased sucrose consumption and number of approaches to the sucrose solution in the SCT when compared with the handled and control rats. In the FST, rats in TS group showed lower immobility time and greater immobility latency, active swimming time and diving frequency than the handled and control rats. The duration and the number of seizures were not different amongst the groups. The data obtained suggest that TS in young rats is able to prevent depression in WAG/Rij rats.

Diverse stimuli induce piloerection and yield varied autonomic responses in humans.

This research provides an in-depth exploration into the triggers and corresponding autonomic responses of piloerection, a phenomenon prevalent across various species. In non-human species, piloerection occurs in reaction to a variety of environmental changes, including social interactions and temperature shifts. However, its understanding in humans has been confined to emotional contexts. This is problematic because it reflects solely upon subjective experience rather than an objective response to the environment. Further, given our shared evolutionary paths, piloerection should function similarly in humans and other animals. I observed 1,198 piloerection episodes from eight participants while simultaneously recording multiple autonomic and body temperature indices, finding that piloerection in humans can be elicited by thermal, tactile, and audio-visual stimuli with equal effectiveness. The data also revealed variations in cardiac reactivity measures: audio-visual piloerection was associated with greater sympathetic arousal, while tactile piloerection was linked to greater parasympathetic arousal. Despite prevailing notions of piloerection as a vestigial response in humans, it does respond to decreases in skin temperature and is associated with a rise in skin temperature during episodes. This research underscores that piloerection in humans is not purely vestigial, nor is it solely an affective response to emotional stimuli. Rather, it is best understood as a reflexive response to environmental changes, suggesting a shared functional similarity with other species.

Apples and oranges: PTSD patients and healthy individuals are not comparable in their subjective and physiological responding to emotion induction and bilateral stimulation.

Objectives: Bilateral stimulation is a core element of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, a psychotherapeutic intervention for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Promising previous findings showed measurable physiological effects of bilateral stimulation in healthy individuals, but studies that replicated these findings in PTSD patients are sparse. Methods: 23 patients with PTSD and 30 healthy controls were confronted with affective standard scripts (pleasant, neutral, unpleasant) while bilateral tactile stimulation was applied. Monolateral and no stimulation served as control conditions. Noise-induced startle reflex response (valence measure) and galvanic skin response (arousal measure) were used for physiological responses and the valence and arousal scale of the Self-Assessment-Manikin for subjective responses. Results: Both groups showed a subjective distress reduction for unpleasant scripts and a subjective attention increase for positive scripts under bilateral stimulation. In healthy individuals, this was also for physiological measures, and a general startle-reducing effect of bilateral stimulation in the absence of affective stimuli was found. In PTSD patients, however, the effects were restricted on the subjective level, and no concomitant physiological effects were observed. Conclusions and significance: The findings indicate, that generalizing the effects of BLS in healthy individuals to PTSD patients may be problematic. The herein-reported group differences can be explained by PTSD-specific peculiarities in emotion processing and cognitive processing style.

Role of tactile stimulation during the preweaning period on the development of the peripheral sensory sural (SU) nerve in adult artificially reared female rat.

Maternal deprivation, as a result of the artificial rearing (AR) paradigm, disturbs electrophysiological and histological characteristics of the peripheral sensory sural (SU) nerve of infant and adult male rats. Such changes are prevented by providing tactile or social stimulation during isolation. AR also affects the female rat's brain and behavior; however, it is unknown whether this early adverse experience also alters their SU nerve development or if tactile stimulation might prevent these possible developmental effects. To assess these possibilities, the electrophysiological and histological characteristics of the SU nerve from adult diestrus AR female rats that: (i) received no tactile stimulation (AR group), (ii) received tactile stimulation in the anogenital and body area (AR-Tactile group), or (iii) were mother reared (MR group) were determined. We found that the amplitude, but not the area, of the evoked compound action potential response in SU nerves of AR rats was lower than those of SU nerves of MR female rats. Tactile stimulation prevented these effects. Additionally, we found a reduction in the outer diameter and myelin thickness of axons, as well as a large proportion of axons with low myelin thickness in nerves of AR rats compared to the nerves of the MR and AR-Tactile groups of rats; however, tactile stimulation only partially prevented these effects. Our data indicate that maternal deprivation disturbs the development of sensory SU nerves in female rats, whereas tactile stimulation partially prevents the changes generated by AR. Considering that our previous studies have shown more severe effects of AR on male SU nerve development, we suggest that sex-associated factors may be involved in these processes.

A multicentre neonatal manikin study showed a large heterogeneity in tactile stimulation for apnoea of prematurity.

AIM: Apnoea of prematurity requires prompt intervention to prevent long-term adverse outcomes, but specific recommendations about the stimulation approach are lacking. Our study investigated the modalities of tactile stimulation for apnoea of prematurity in different settings. METHODS: In this multi-country observational prospective study, nurses and physicians of the neonatal intensive care units were asked to perform a tactile stimulation on a preterm neonatal manikin simulating an apnoea. Features of the stimulation (body location and hand movements) and source of learning (training course or clinical practice) were collected. RESULTS: Overall, 112 healthcare providers from five hospitals participated in the study. During the stimulation, the most frequent location were feet (72%) and back (61%), while the most frequent techniques were rubbing (64%) and massaging (43%). Stimulation modalities different among participants according to their hospitals and their source of learning of the stimulation procedures. CONCLUSION: There was a large heterogeneity in stimulation approaches adopted by healthcare providers to counteract apnoea in a simulated preterm infant. This finding may be partially explained by the lack of specific guidelines and was influenced by the source of learning for tactile stimulation.

Discrimination of the moving direction is improved depending on the pattern of the mechanical tactile stimulation intervention.

BACKGROUND: The mechanical tactile stimulation, such as plastic pins and airflow-driven membrane, induces cortical activity. The cortical activity depends on the mechanical tactile stimulation pattern. Therefore, the stimulation pattern of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention may influence its effect on the somatosensory function. However, the effect of the mechanical tactile stimulation input pattern on the somatosensory function has not yet been investigated at the behavioral level. The present study aimed to clarify the effects of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention with different stimulation patterns on the ability to discriminate moving directions. RESULTS: Twenty healthy adults participated in the experiment. Three conditions were used for mechanical tactile stimuli intervention: (1) the whole stimulus surface was stimulated, (2) the stimulus moved within the stimulus surface, and (3) a no-stimulus condition. The effects of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention on tactile discrimination were evaluated using a simple reaction task and a choice reaction task to discriminate the movement direction. Reaction time, correct rate, and rate correct score were calculated to measure task performance. We examined the effects of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention on the ability to discriminate the moving direction for a certain period under three intervention conditions. The results showed that the mean reaction time during the simple reaction task did not differ significantly before and after the intervention under all intervention conditions. Similarly, we compared the data obtained before and after the intervention during the choice reaction task. Our results revealed that the mean reaction time and correct rate did not differ significantly under vertical and horizontal conditions. However, the rate correct score showed a significant improvement after the horizontal moving tactile stimulation intervention under both vertical and horizontal conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the effect of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention on mechanical tactile stimulation moving direction discrimination function depended on the input pattern of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention. Our results suggest the potential therapeutic benefits of sustained tactile stimulation intervention. This study revealed that it is possible to change behavioral levels via mechanical tactile stimuli intervention as well as the potential of mechanical tactile stimuli intervention in the field of rehabilitation.

Pupil dilation reveals the intensity of touch.

Touch is important for many aspects of our daily activities. One of the most important tactile characteristics is its perceived intensity. However, quantifying the intensity of perceived tactile stimulation is not always possible using overt responses. Here, we show that pupil responses can objectively index the intensity of tactile stimulation in the absence of overt participant responses. In Experiment 1 (n = 32), we stimulated three reportedly differentially sensitive body locations (finger, forearm, and calf) with a single tap of a tactor while tracking pupil responses. Tactile stimulation resulted in greater pupil dilation than a baseline without stimulation. Furthermore, pupils dilated more for the more sensitive location (finger) than for the less sensitive location (forearm and calf). In Experiment 2 (n = 20) we extended these findings by manipulating the intensity of the stimulation with three different intensities, here a short vibration, always at the little finger. Again, pupils dilated more when being stimulated at higher intensities as compared to lower intensities. In summary, pupils dilated more for more sensitive parts of the body at constant stimulation intensity and for more intense stimulation at constant location. Taken together, the results show that the intensity of perceived tactile stimulation can be objectively measured with pupil responses - and that such responses are a versatile marker for touch research. Our findings may pave the way for previously impossible objective tests of tactile sensitivity, for example in minimally conscious state patients.

Tactile stimulation of the perigenital region during manual bladder expression improved the urine stream in cats affected by upper motor neuron injury.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the tactile stimulation of the perigenital region together with manual bladder expression (MBE) facilitated the urine stream in cats with acute or chronic upper motor neuron injury (UMNI). ANIMALS: 34 cats with UMNI having urinary retention. METHODS: All the cats had a complete neurologic examination, which determined the localization of the UMNI between T3 and L3. They were classified as chronic UMNI if the injury had occurred more than 3 days previously. The cats were divided equally into 2 groups: the M group (n = 17) managed with only MBE, and the MT group (17) managed with MBE and tactile stimulation. RESULTS: In both groups, all the cats affected by chronic UMNI resumed urination. The time required to obtain a urine stream in the chronic UMNI was 9.3 seconds in the M group and 3.1 seconds in the MT group (P < .05). In the cats affected by acute UMNI, a urine stream was achieved in 54% of the M group and 100% of the MT group (P < .05). The time to obtain a urine stream in the acute UMNI cats was 7.8 seconds in the M group and 3.75 seconds in the MT group (P < .05). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Adding tactile stimulation of the perigenital region to the MBE improved the urine stream in cats affected by UMNI.

Effects of pain associated with orthodontic tooth movement on tactile sensation of periodontal ligaments.

OBJECTIVES: Pain associated with orthodontic tooth movement reportedly reduces periodontal ligament tactile sensation. However, the mechanism associated with the central nervous system remains unclear. This study was conducted by measuring somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs) during mechanical stimulation of teeth as they were being moved by separator elastics. Findings clarified the effects of pain on periodontal ligament tactile sensation during orthodontic tooth movement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using magnetoencephalography, SEFs were measured during the application of mechanical stimuli to the mandibular right first molars of 23 right-handed healthy participants (0 h). Separator elastics were subsequently inserted into the mesial and distal interdental portions of the mandibular right first molars. The same mechanical stimuli were applied again 24 h later while the SEFs were measured (24 h). After each SEF measurements, pain was also evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). RESULTS: The VAS values were significantly higher at 24 h than at 0 h (p < 0.05). No significant difference in the peak latencies was found between those obtained at 0 h and 24 h, but the intensities around 40.0 ms in the contralateral hemisphere were significantly lower at 24 h than at 0 h (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pain associated with orthodontic tooth movement might suppress periodontal ligament tactile sensation in the primary somatosensory cortex. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Pain associated with orthodontic tooth movement might affect periodontal ligament sensation, consequently causing discomfort during occlusion.

Influence of taping on force sense accuracy: a systematic review with between and within group meta-analysis.

Taping is a common technique used to address proprioceptive deficits in both healthy and patient population groups. Although there is increasing interest in taping to address proprioceptive deficits, little is known about its effects on the kinetic aspects of proprioception as measured by force sense accuracy. To address this gap in the literature, the present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of taping on force sense accuracy. A search for relevant literature was conducted following PRISMA guidelines across seven databases and one register. Eleven studies with 279 participants were included in the review out of 7362 records. In the between-group analyses, we found a significant improvement in absolute (p < 0.01) and relative (p = 0.01) force sense accuracy with taping compared to no comparator. Likewise, a significant improvement in absolute (p = 0.01) force sense accuracy was also observed with taping compared to placebo tape. In the within group analysis, this reduction in the absolute (p = 0.11) force sense accuracy was not significant. Additional exploratory subgroup analyses revealed between group improvement in force sense accuracy in both healthy individuals and individuals affected by medial epicondylitis. The findings of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of studies and a lack of blinded randomized controlled trials, which may impact the generalizability of the results. More high-quality research is needed to confirm the overall effect of taping on force sense accuracy.

Proprioceptive and tactile processing in individuals with Friedreich ataxia: an fMRI study.

Objective: Friedreich ataxia (FA) neuropathology affects dorsal root ganglia, posterior columns in the spinal cord, the spinocerebellar tracts, and cerebellar dentate nuclei. The impact of the somatosensory system on ataxic symptoms remains debated. This study aims to better evaluate the contribution of somatosensory processing to ataxia clinical severity by simultaneously investigating passive movement and tactile pneumatic stimulation in individuals with FA. Methods: Twenty patients with FA and 20 healthy participants were included. All subjects underwent two 6 min block-design functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigms consisting of twelve 30 s alternating blocks (10 brain volumes per block, 120 brain volumes per paradigm) of a tactile oddball paradigm and a passive movement paradigm. Spearman rank correlation tests were used for correlations between BOLD levels and ataxia severity. Results: The passive movement paradigm led to the lower activation of primary (cSI) and secondary somatosensory cortices (cSII) in FA compared with healthy subjects (respectively 1.1 ± 0.78 vs. 0.61 ± 1.02, p = 0.04, and 0.69 ± 0.5 vs. 0.3 ± 0.41, p = 0.005). In the tactile paradigm, there was no significant difference between cSI and cSII activation levels in healthy controls and FA (respectively 0.88 ± 0.73 vs. 1.14 ± 0.99, p = 0.33, and 0.54 ± 0.37 vs. 0.55 ± 0.54, p = 0.93). Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between cSI activation levels in the tactile paradigm and the clinical severity (R = 0.481, p = 0.032). Interpretation: Our study captured the difference between tactile and proprioceptive impairments in FA using somatosensory fMRI paradigms. The lack of correlation between the proprioceptive paradigm and ataxia clinical parameters supports a low contribution of afferent ataxia to FA clinical severity.

Beneficios del masaje infantil en recién nacidos prematuros. Revisión bibliográfica / Benefits of infant massage in premature newborns. A bibliographic review

Objetivo: Conocer los efectos beneficiosos de la aplicación de masaje infantil en los recién nacidos prematuros estables en cuidados intensivos neonatales. Metodología y diseño: Revisión bibliográfica según directrices de la declaración PRISMA, realizada en febrero del 2021, en las bases de datos: Pubmed, Scielo, Elsevier y Dialnet. Los criterios de inclusión considerados fueron artículos con contenido sobre masaje terapéutico en niños como tratamiento en el medio hospitalario, idioma inglés / castellano, publicados 2016-2021 y, acceso a texto completo gratuito o accesibles desde recursos institucionales. Se evaluó nivel de evidencia y grado de recomendación y la calidad metodológica con criterios CASPE. Se identifica información de cada artículo: año de publicación, diseño, participantes y resultados de la intervención. Resultados: Se incluyeron 11 artículos con calidad metodológica entre 5-10 puntos según instrumento de evaluación de revisión sistemática o ensayo clínico aleatorio respectivamente. En los resultados se consideran 12 áreas temáticas: técnica de masaje y tiempo de duración; aplicación de aceites; neurodesarrollo; sistema inmunológico; gastrointestinal; peso; función visual; sueño; estrés; dolor; apego; estancia hospitalaria. La mayor parte de los estudios informaron de beneficios tanto fisiológicos como conductuales. Los beneficios referidos en los estudios hacen relación a mejora de la actividad gastrointestinal, mejor tolerancia al dolor, disminución de la estancia hospitalaria, mejor neurodesarrollo, aumento de peso, mejora en el sistema inmune e incremento en la función visual además de favorecer el apego y la disminución de los niveles de estrés. (AU)

Objectives: To know the beneficial effects of the application of infant massage in stable premature newborns in the NICU. Methodology and design: Systematic review that follows the guidelines of the PRISMA declaration. Bibliographic research was realized in February 2021 in the databases of Pubmed, Scielo, Elsevier and Dialnet. The inclusion criteria were articles relationated with therapeutic massage as treatment in the hospitalary area, In English or Spanish, between 2016-2021 as the year of publication and full free text or accessible through institutional resources. Results: 11 articles with methodological quality between 5-10 points according to the systematic review evaluation instrument or randomized clinical trial, respectively, are included. The results consider 12 thematic areas: massage technique and time; oil application; neurodevelopment; waterproof system; gastrointestinal; weight; visual function; sleep; stress; pain; attachment; hospital stay. Most studies report both physiological and behavioral benefits. The benefits referred to in the studies are related to improved gastrointestinal activity, better pain tolerance, shorter hospital stay, better neurodevelopment, weight gain, improved immune system and increased visual function, in addition to promoting attachment and the decrease in stress levels. (AU)

The third-person perspective full-body illusion induced by visual-tactile stimulation in virtual reality for stroke patients.

This paper attempts to induce the third-person perspective full body illusion (3PP-FBI) with virtual reality (VR) in stroke patients. Nineteen individuals with stroke were recruited. The 3PP-FBI induction method, which was well-established in healthy individuals, using synchronous visual-tactile stimulation on one body part was used. Questionnaire scores and proprioceptive drift values were collected under different conditions for characterizing the induced 3PP-FBI. Results showed that synchronous visual-tactile stimulation of a single body part (back or upper limb) was sufficient to elicit 3PP-FBI in stroke patients, forming a sense of ownership (SOO) over the entire virtual body. Moreover, the intensity of 3PP-FBI was stronger when the back was stimulated, compared to stimulating the impaired upper limb. This study demonstrated the viability of visual-guided rehabilitation training while having a SOO to a virtual body from the third-person perspective, in anticipation of achieving better rehabilitation outcome for movements beyond the first-person perspective.

Does Tactile Stimulation of the Face Affect the Processing of Other Faces? Neural and Behavioural Effects of Facial Touch.

The integration of vision and touch is proposed as a critical factor for processing one's own body and the bodies of others in the brain. We hypothesize that tactile stimulation on an individual's face may change the ability to process the faces of other, but not the processing of other visual images. We aimed to determine if facial touch increased the activity of the mirror system and face recognition memory of the observer. Therefore, mu suppression was measured to compare the effect of facial touch in performing two visual tasks. The participants observed faces and non-face visual images under two sets of conditions. In the first condition, a robotic finger touched the participant's cheek while in the second condition, no touch occurred. Upon each observational task, the participants were given in a recognition test. Behavioral results indicated that facial touch improved recognition performance for faces, but not for non-face visual images. Tactile stimulation increased mu suppression in both occipital and central electrodes during face processing; however, the suppression did not significantly change during non-face visual processing. Our findings support the concept that the brain uses a self-body representation, as a reference to understand the mental states or behaviors of others.

Early tactile stimulation influences the development of Alzheimer's disease in gestationally stressed APP NL-G-F adult offspring NL-G-F/NL-G-F mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with cerebral plaques and tangles, reduced synapse number, and shrinkage in several brain areas and these morphological effects are associated with the onset of compromised cognitive, motor, and anxiety-like behaviours. The appearance of both anatomical and behavioural symptoms is worsened by stress. The focus of this study was to examine the effect of neonatal tactile stimulation on AD-like behavioural and neurological symptoms on APP NL-G-F/NL-G-F mice, a mouse model of AD, who have been gestationally stressed. Our findings indicate that neonatal tactile stimulation improves cognition, motor skills, and anxiety-like symptoms in both gestationally stressed and non-stressed adult APP mice and that these alterations are associated with reduced Aß plaque formation. Thus, tactile stimulation appears to be a promising non-invasive preventative strategy for slowing the onset of dementia in aging animals.

Event-Related Desynchronization Induced by Tactile Imagery: an EEG Study.

It is well known that both hand movements and mental representations of movement lead to event-related desynchronization (ERD) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded over the corresponding cortical motor areas. However, the relationship between ERD in somatosensory cortical areas and mental representations of tactile sensations is not well understood. In this study, we employed EEG recordings in healthy humans to compare the effects of real and imagined vibrotactile stimulation of the right hand. Both real and imagined sensations produced contralateral ERD patterns, particularly in the µ-band and most significantly in the C3 region. Building on these results and the previous literature, we discuss the role of tactile imagery as part of the complex body image and the potential for using EEG patterns induced by tactile imagery as control signals in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Combining this approach with motor imagery (MI) could improve the performance of BCIs intended for rehabilitation of sensorimotor function after stroke and neural trauma.

Vibrotactile stimulation at gamma frequency mitigates pathology related to neurodegeneration and improves motor function.

The risk for neurodegenerative diseases increases with aging, with various pathological conditions and functional deficits accompanying these diseases. We have previously demonstrated that non-invasive visual stimulation using 40 Hz light flicker ameliorated pathology and modified cognitive function in mouse models of neurodegeneration, but whether 40 Hz stimulation using another sensory modality can impact neurodegeneration and motor function has not been studied. Here, we show that whole-body vibrotactile stimulation at 40 Hz leads to increased neural activity in the primary somatosensory cortex (SSp) and primary motor cortex (MOp). In two different mouse models of neurodegeneration, Tau P301S and CK-p25 mice, daily exposure to 40 Hz vibrotactile stimulation across multiple weeks also led to decreased brain pathology in SSp and MOp. Furthermore, both Tau P301S and CK-p25 mice showed improved motor performance after multiple weeks of daily 40 Hz vibrotactile stimulation. Vibrotactile stimulation at 40 Hz may thus be considered as a promising therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases with motor deficits.

Alteration in social interaction and tactile discrimination of juvenile autistic-like rats following tactile stimulation and whisker deprivation.

INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that can affect sensory-motor behaviors in the valproic acid (Val) rodent model of autism. Although whisker deprivation (WD) induces plastic changes in the cortical neurons, tactile stimulation (TS) during the neonatal period may reverse it. Here, we investigate the interaction effects of TS and WD on behavioral and histologic features of barrel cortex neurons in juvenile Val-treated. METHODS: Control (CTL, CTL-TS, CTL-WD, and CTL-TS-WD groups) and Val-treated (Val, Val-TS, Val-WD, and Val-TS-WD groups) rats of both sexes were subjected to behavioral tests of social interaction, and novel texture recognition, and Nissl staining. The TS groups were exposed to sensory stimulation for 15 min, three times/day; moreover, all whiskers in the WD groups were trimmed every other day from postnatal days 1 to 21. RESULTS: Both prenatal valproic acid administration and postnatal WD decreased the rats' performance percentage of the Val and CTL-WD groups of both sexes compared with the CTL groups in the social interaction and texture discrimination tests. Following TS, the performance of the Val-TS-WD group increased significantly compared to the Val group (p < .05), whereas the performance of the CTL-TS-WD group rescued to the CTL group. Nissl staining results also revealed the neuron degeneration percentage in the barrel field area of the Val and CTL-WD groups was increased significantly (p < .05) compared with the CTL group. In this regard, TS decreased the neuron degeneration percentage of the Val-TS-WD and the CTL-TS-WD groups, compared with the CTL group, significantly (p < .05). CONCLUSION: TS in juvenile male and female rats can act as a modulator and compensate for the behavioral and histological consequences of WD and prenatal valproic acid exposure.

Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Tactile Stimulation Using Air Pressure at the Auricular Vagus Nerve on Heart Rate Variability.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of tactile stimulation using air pressure at the auricular branch of the vagus nerve on autonomic activity in healthy individuals. METHODS: Three types of tactile stimulation were used in this study: continuous low-amplitude, continuous high-amplitude, and pulsed airflow. The tactile stimulations were provided to the cymba concha to investigate autonomic activity in 22 healthy participants. The mean heart rate (HR) and parameters of HR variability, including the standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive R-R interval differences (RMSSD) were compared at baseline, stimulation, and recovery periods. RESULTS: Two-way repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of time on HR (p=0.001), SDNN (p=0.003), and RMSSD (p<0.001). These parameters showed significant differences between baseline and stimulation periods and baseline and recovery periods in the post-hoc analyses. There were no significant differences in the changes induced by stimulation type and the interaction between time and stimulation type for all parameters. One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that HR, SDNN, and RMSSD did not differ significantly among the three time periods during sham stimulation. CONCLUSION: Parasympathetic activity can be enhanced by auricular tactile stimulation using air pressure, targeting the cymba concha. Further studies are warranted to investigate the optimal stimulation parameters for potential clinical significance.

Outcomes of family-centred auditory and tactile stimulation implementation on traumatic brain injured patients.

AIM: To determine the outcomes of Family-centred Auditory and Tactile Stimulation Implementation on Traumatic Brain Injured Patients in Egypt. BACKGROUND: Family engagement in the care of their relatives in the Intensive care units is limited due to patients' life-threatening conditions, in addition to the use of high technology in these settings. Auditory and tactile sensory stimulations are among the diverse sensory stimulations that have received more attention in brain injured patients than other senses as being considered safe, and effective measures. DESIGN: A Quasi-experimental design was used to test the hypotheses of this study. METHODS: A convenience sample of 60 adult patients suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and admitted to the intensive care units of two University Hospitals in Egypt was included in the study. Patients were assigned into two equal groups: control and study groups (30 patients each). The auditory and tactile stimulations were provided by trained family members, once daily for 2 weeks for the study group. Whereas routine communication was provided by the family of traumatic brain injured patients in the ICU for the control group. Two tools were used for data collection; tool one, the "Glasgow Coma Scale" to assess patient's level of consciousness, and tool two the "Physiological Adverse Events Assessment" to monitor patients for the occurrence of physiological adverse events. DATA COLLECTION: January to October 2019. RESULTS: The implementation of an organized auditory and tactile stimulation by trained family members is associated with highly statistically significant positive effects . Patients in the study group showed a higher mean of consciousness, lower incidence rate of physiological adverse events, and a lower mean duration of ICU stay. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an organized auditory and tactile stimulation by trained family members enhanced the consciousness level of comatose Traumatic Brain Injured patients, decreased the occurrence of physiological adverse events, and ICU length of stay. Thus, it is recommended for use in the daily routine nursing care of comatose Traumatic Brain Injured patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study gives a deeper understanding of how family engagement in the care of their critically ill relative enhances their recovery and improve their level of consciousness.