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Functional Properties of C-Low Threshold Mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs) in Nonhuman Mammals

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Affective Touch and the Neurophysiology of CT Afferents

Abstract

In humans, unmyelinated C-tactile fibers, referred to as C-low threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs) in nonhuman mammals, are found exclusively in hairy skin and preferentially respond to slow moving gentle touch, such as that produced by lightly stroking the skin. While substantial species differences exist in the proportion of C-LTMRs to the total C-fiber population, C-LTMRs appear to be expressed more densely in proximal regions of the limbs and the trunk. Functionally, C-LTMRs are specifically tuned to relatively low velocity (~0.1 cm/s) cutaneous stimulation, respond with biphasic adaptation to a single sustained stimulus and exhibit prolonged fatigue in response to repeated stimulation. While a molecular marker of the global C-LTMR population is lacking, subtypes expressing MrgprB4, VGLUT3, and TH have been identified. Considering that C-LTMRs terminate in lamina II of the spinal dorsal horn, there is increasing evidence supporting their involvement in the modulation of spinal responses to nociceptive input.

As the methods of recording the activity of the nerve fibers now have been developed to such a degree that even the smallest afferent fibers have to yield to our curiosity, further experiments may provide more quantitative data required for the analyses of the nervous mechanism of cutaneous sensations.

Yngve Zotterman; Touch, pain and tickling: An electrophysiological investigation on cutaneous sensory nerves (1939)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, 35A Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Mark Pitcher M.Sc., Ph.D. & Alexander Chesler Ph.D.

  2. National Institute for Neurological Disease and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 35A Convent Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Claire E. Le Pichon Ph.D.

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  1. Mark Pitcher M.Sc., Ph.D.
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  2. Claire E. Le Pichon Ph.D.
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  3. Alexander Chesler Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Mark Pitcher M.Sc., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Göteborg, Sweden

    HÃ¥kan Olausson

  2. Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden

    Johan Wessberg

  3. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    India Morrison

  4. Research Centre for Brain & Behaviour, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Francis McGlone

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Pitcher, M., Le Pichon, C.E., Chesler, A. (2016). Functional Properties of C-Low Threshold Mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs) in Nonhuman Mammals. In: Olausson, H., Wessberg, J., Morrison, I., McGlone, F. (eds) Affective Touch and the Neurophysiology of CT Afferents. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6418-5_2

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